H
HeWillProvide
Guest
What are some good ways to really see strangers as brothers and sisters in Jesus and not just random people walking down the street?? How can we learn to treat everyone with the respect they deserve?
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K
kennewickmike
Guest
Very tough, but a good goal. I try to look at people with the thought that they are or were someone’s children. Someone’s hopes and dreams are wrapped up in them. Also you have to remember that we are all made in the image of God.
M
MarieVeronica
Guest
My :twocents: I feel that all of us, can at least do the small things… even with people we don’t know.
Hold doors open for people. Give other drivers your “right of way”. Give up your seat on a bus, especially for an elderly or disabled person. Give coupons you’re not going to use, to others in the supermarket. Learn peoples names… and then, CALL them by name. And a very important one… SMILE at people! Especially if someone appears to be sad, or lonely. SMILE at them!
This is an awesome quote, from Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta:
“Let us always meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love”.
It’s amazing, how often good works and new friendships, will blossom… from just one smile.
God bless.
Hold doors open for people. Give other drivers your “right of way”. Give up your seat on a bus, especially for an elderly or disabled person. Give coupons you’re not going to use, to others in the supermarket. Learn peoples names… and then, CALL them by name. And a very important one… SMILE at people! Especially if someone appears to be sad, or lonely. SMILE at them!
This is an awesome quote, from Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta:
“Let us always meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love”.
It’s amazing, how often good works and new friendships, will blossom… from just one smile.
God bless.
H
Highwayhound
Guest
The quote of Mother Teresa is a great thought. I have heard the idea expressed as, “A smile is the first sign of God’s love.”My :twocents: I feel that all of us, can at least do the small things… even with people we don’t know.
Hold doors open for people. Give other drivers your “right of way”. Give up your seat on a bus, especially for an elderly or disabled person. Give coupons you’re not going to use, to others in the supermarket. Learn peoples names… and then, CALL them by name. And a very important one… SMILE at people! Especially if someone appears to be sad, or lonely. SMILE at them!
This is an awesome quote, from Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta:
“Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love”.
It’s amazing, how often good works and new friendships, will blossom… from just one smile.
God bless.
The other ideas listed are good, too.
Treating others with respect is a habit. Good habits take practice. One way I practice this is to pick a virtue to emphasize for the year and look for ways to enact that virtue in my daily life. This year’s virtue is kindness.
God bless
T
Trishie
Guest
Worlds passing by
You pass me by. I catch your eye for an instant.
If introduced, we exchange light courtesies?
Perhaps our communication shall never grow deeper
and we may on earth never feel close?
Perhaps not meet again?
For we are strangers. Or that vague thing, acquaintances,
or friends who never guess how little each really knows the other.
Or for a brief while we have in deep fraternity recognised each other
until, perhaps, darkness closes over the moment
and we are again strangers!
In me, you see, perhaps–another of many persons—
ordinary, irrelevant or for the moment, useful or demanding?
I, observing you may feel the same?
Yet I know you for a world,
a universe within!
To God, you are precious, unique, and beloved!
beheld through Jesus crucified and risen…you, like me, God’s child!
How profoundly we should care!
Yet we are often afraid and untrusting
even with our own best loved.
I feel for you a gentleness that you cannot suspect–
though through circumstance or mutual limitation,
there may exist no effective human link between us.
I turn to God confused, and plead to love and serve you
“Behold this person, Lord, created in image of Your Son
and intended for harmonious union with me in You–
as with numerous other souls, worlds–mysterious, complex, rich.
Beautiful. Yet wounded in the reality and knowledge of his frailty.
In him–all beauty, all gift and good–
concealed within, without revealed–is You.
Receive then as Yours that gift-of-Your-life-and-love in this person
offered to You as my prayer for him in faith.
Accept him at my hands through the Person of Christ
in Whom You are Father and all humankind is brother, sister.
Draw this person nearer for Your love for him in me,
in this, the moment of my caring!”
Still strangers, we are thus in secret united, through Your love and prayer our God.
You know, and Your knowledge of our kinship embraces me
As Your compassion and grace flows into the being for whom I pray.
“For this renewing surge of healing and creation
in the soul of my sister or my brother,
I thank You, Lord our God and Father!”
My thoughts on your question from my “handful of wildflowers”
You pass me by. I catch your eye for an instant.
If introduced, we exchange light courtesies?
Perhaps our communication shall never grow deeper
and we may on earth never feel close?
Perhaps not meet again?
For we are strangers. Or that vague thing, acquaintances,
or friends who never guess how little each really knows the other.
Or for a brief while we have in deep fraternity recognised each other
until, perhaps, darkness closes over the moment
and we are again strangers!
In me, you see, perhaps–another of many persons—
ordinary, irrelevant or for the moment, useful or demanding?
I, observing you may feel the same?
Yet I know you for a world,
a universe within!
To God, you are precious, unique, and beloved!
beheld through Jesus crucified and risen…you, like me, God’s child!
How profoundly we should care!
Yet we are often afraid and untrusting
even with our own best loved.
I feel for you a gentleness that you cannot suspect–
though through circumstance or mutual limitation,
there may exist no effective human link between us.
I turn to God confused, and plead to love and serve you
“Behold this person, Lord, created in image of Your Son
and intended for harmonious union with me in You–
as with numerous other souls, worlds–mysterious, complex, rich.
Beautiful. Yet wounded in the reality and knowledge of his frailty.
In him–all beauty, all gift and good–
concealed within, without revealed–is You.
Receive then as Yours that gift-of-Your-life-and-love in this person
offered to You as my prayer for him in faith.
Accept him at my hands through the Person of Christ
in Whom You are Father and all humankind is brother, sister.
Draw this person nearer for Your love for him in me,
in this, the moment of my caring!”
Still strangers, we are thus in secret united, through Your love and prayer our God.
You know, and Your knowledge of our kinship embraces me
As Your compassion and grace flows into the being for whom I pray.
“For this renewing surge of healing and creation
in the soul of my sister or my brother,
I thank You, Lord our God and Father!”
My thoughts on your question from my “handful of wildflowers”
T
Trishie
Guest
The following poem “But” was written by a Divine Word Missionary, inspiring us to love of others, even in the smallest gestures of human kindness.
It was only a sunny smile,
And little it cost in the giving;
But it scattered the night
Like morning light,
And made the day worth living.
Through life’s dark warp a woof it wove
In shining colours of hope and love;
And the angels smiled as they watched above,
Yet little it cost in the giving.
It was only a kindly word, a word that was lightly spoken;
But not in vain,
For it stilled the pain
Of a heart that was nearly broken
It strengthened a faith beset with fears,
And groping blindly through mists of tears,
For light to brighten the coming years,
Although it was lightly spoken.
It was only a helping hand
And it seemed of little availing;
But its clasp was warm,
And it saved from harm
A brother whose strength was failing.
Its touch was tender as angels’ wings
But it rolled the stone from the hidden springs
And pointed the way to higher things,
Though it seemed of little availing.
It was only a sunny smile,
And little it cost in the giving;
But it scattered the night
Like morning light,
And made the day worth living.
Through life’s dark warp a woof it wove
In shining colours of hope and love;
And the angels smiled as they watched above,
Yet little it cost in the giving.
It was only a kindly word, a word that was lightly spoken;
But not in vain,
For it stilled the pain
Of a heart that was nearly broken
It strengthened a faith beset with fears,
And groping blindly through mists of tears,
For light to brighten the coming years,
Although it was lightly spoken.
It was only a helping hand
And it seemed of little availing;
But its clasp was warm,
And it saved from harm
A brother whose strength was failing.
Its touch was tender as angels’ wings
But it rolled the stone from the hidden springs
And pointed the way to higher things,
Though it seemed of little availing.
J
jyhalramoon
Guest
I always try to be nice, and if they look my way, I always smile and say Hi. It’s a small gesture, but that’s actually how I made a lot of friends. It brightens peoples day knowing that at least one person on this planet is nice enough to take time out of the day to be nice. Worth a try, right?
Worth a try, right?
T
Trishie
Guest
Matthew 25 verses 31-46…Jesus’ words inspire us to be kind to strangers, acquaintances or loved ones. He goes so far as to say that salvation depends upon our charity towards other people, which He regards as charity directly given to Him.
“The Last Judgement”
“When the Son of Man comes in all His glory, escorted by all the angels, then he will take his seat on his throne of glory. All the nations will be assembled before him and he will separate men from one another as the shepherd separates sheep from goats.
He will place the sheep on his right hand and the goats on his left. then the King shall say to those on his right hand,” Come you whom my Father has blessed, take for your heritage the kingdom prepared for you since the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food; I was a stranger and you made me welcome. I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you made me welcome; naked and you clothed me; sick and you visited me, in prison and you came to see me.
Then the virtuous will say to him in reply, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you; or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you hungry and feed you; or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and make you welcome; naked and clothe you; sick or in prison and go to see you?
And the King will answer, " I tell you solemnly, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me.”
Next he will say to those on his left “Go away from me with your curse upon you, to the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels, for when I was hungry you never gave me food; I was thirsty and you never gave me anything to drink; I was a stranger and you never made me welcome, naked and you never clothed me, sick and in prison and you never visited me.”
Then it will be their turn to ask, “Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty; a stranger or naked, sick or in prison, and not come to your help?”
Then he will answer, “I tell you solemnly, in so far as you neglected to do this to one of the least of these, you neglected to do it to me.” And they will go away to eternal punishment, and the virtuous to eternal life."
“The Last Judgement”
“When the Son of Man comes in all His glory, escorted by all the angels, then he will take his seat on his throne of glory. All the nations will be assembled before him and he will separate men from one another as the shepherd separates sheep from goats.
He will place the sheep on his right hand and the goats on his left. then the King shall say to those on his right hand,” Come you whom my Father has blessed, take for your heritage the kingdom prepared for you since the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food; I was a stranger and you made me welcome. I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you made me welcome; naked and you clothed me; sick and you visited me, in prison and you came to see me.
Then the virtuous will say to him in reply, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you; or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you hungry and feed you; or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and make you welcome; naked and clothe you; sick or in prison and go to see you?
And the King will answer, " I tell you solemnly, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me.”
Next he will say to those on his left “Go away from me with your curse upon you, to the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels, for when I was hungry you never gave me food; I was thirsty and you never gave me anything to drink; I was a stranger and you never made me welcome, naked and you never clothed me, sick and in prison and you never visited me.”
Then it will be their turn to ask, “Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty; a stranger or naked, sick or in prison, and not come to your help?”
Then he will answer, “I tell you solemnly, in so far as you neglected to do this to one of the least of these, you neglected to do it to me.” And they will go away to eternal punishment, and the virtuous to eternal life."
B
brigid12
Guest
Practice! When I was a child I did all these things without thinking. Then I got out of practice. Now respect, courtesy, and a smile are what I can manage easily while thinking about it. It sure seems to need a lot of practice to get back to these things.
H
HeWillProvide
Guest
But wouldn’t this be “fake” love because I am doing it out of fear? Meaning, I don’t really “mean” it - like, I don’t really “mean” my smile at that person over there, I am just doing it because I am “supposed” to…? Does it not “count” because the smiles/kindness aren’t “genuine” but forced??
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