I often suggest it would be a good thing for people to welcome newcomers (which can be done by giving them space, answering their questions rather than force-feeding your opinions, offering at least as many refreshments as you would for visitors to your home, cleaning up the place before they arrive, using both vowels and consonants when you speak, brushing your teeth and choosing to do what you can to help them experience God's love whether they'll date you or not). It's not that difficult to be nice, so I encourage it.
That's usually when someone says, "How will we know who the newcomers are?"
(Huh? You're only planning to be nice to the newcomers? C'mon, how about spreading the love around? But, that's another topic for another post...)
My answer is often a quick pantomime. I walk out the door and walk back in, mouth open and eyes up, staring in awe at the new and unfamiliar space I've entered. Eyes wide and gazing in wonder, I look the part of a newcomer, experiencing their awakening to new space, new relationships and new opportunity. The newcomer "look" is easier to spot than some suppose.
When I took this picture of people entering the lobby of the Old Faithful Inn at Yellowstone Park, I thought, "That's it. That's the easily recognized look of a newcomer."
So, if you want to welcome newcomers, I hope this picture will help you identify them.
Job 8:9-10 - We're newcomers at this, with a lot to learn, and not too long to learn it. So why not let the ancients teach you, tell you what's what, instruct you in what they knew from experience?
And so it is the very reason I am working the guest services desk this weekend :) I love helping those wide eyed newcomers feel they are right at home :)
Hope your time away is proving to be everything you hoped. It's probably more knowing our God :)
Posted by: Lisa | October 06, 2010 at 07:25 PM