I was walking into a store a few days ago. In front of me was a grown woman, probably in her mid-30s. Her face was glued to her phone screen as she walked hurriedly toward the same store entrance that I was headed into. Her gaze was so fixated on the device in her hand that she almost slammed right into a glass window, rather than walking into a door. However, she looked up just enough at the last minute to avoid an embarrassing collision and in the process, she swung open the door, walked through it quickly and let it slam in my face.
Now, giving the woman the benefit of the doubt, she may not have even known that I was just a few feet behind her. So, I'm not going to claim that she slammed the door in my face on purpose. She may be a decent human being for all I know.
BUT, I will say that this small and random act says alot about our society.
How often are we so engrossed with what WE are doing that we forget that others are sharing this planet with us?
Okay, maybe you never forget that there are other people on the planet, but how often do you get so wrapped up in what you're doing, how your day is going, how your life is being impacted, or what is on your agenda that you forget to take time and acknowledge what is going on in the lives of others?
Its not difficult. Small acts say alot!
A stranger holding the door open as they walk through for the person behind them is an easy, kind act. However, I'd implore you that the easy and kind act goes a long way.
It reminds us that we are sharing this world. It reminds us that we're not alone.
A smile or small wave as you pass by a stranger reminds you that love is so much better than evil. A small and kind act can literally change the trajectory of someone's day. Dare I say, it could change the trajectory of someone's life?
Our nature may seem wired to focus on self. We live in a world that makes it easy to focus on self, the selfie, the personal highlight reels, and our own corner of the world.
Let me encourage you to go against what seems to be natural wiring. Because honestly, we aren't wired to do life alone and to not love one another.
God is love. Our designer made us in His image. Thus, we are made to love like God. That is our true hard-wiring. Lasting satisfaction won't come through only loving yourself. It will be found in loving and serving one another.
So, the next time you're tempted to not let someone in while you're driving in traffic, ignore the person working in the office next to you, or to rush in front of someone at the grocery store so that you get in line first, remember that life is about much more than saving those few seconds. Those few seconds can change the world.
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