"If you shout a pleasant greeting to your
neighbor too early in the morning, it will be counted as a curse".
Ever notice how our mood and reactions in the morning are very dependent
on the words of others? In fact, our whole day can be influenced by
the first words that are spoken to us in the morning. The same can be
said from others about the first words they hear from us. I have always
been an early bird so other than the whispered, "Have a great day. Love you" to Patti in the dark on the way out of the house, my next
words are likely to be to other people who I am interacting with on a
"work basis". I have learned over the years to choose those words
carefully as my words may well be the first words they hear of the day
as well. So, we are both vulnerable and also both highly influential
with what we have to say to each other in the morning. I am not one for
small talk so I tend to jump right in and get going before I allow
someone else to say, "Good morning". It is not a good trait of mine.
What I have learned over the years is to temper myself and allow others
to "wake up" by hearing something good from me and also allowing them to
tell me something good that has happened to them. The simple exchange
of, "Good morning. Hope your day is off to a good start. How was your
evening (or weekend as Monday mornings are even more critical)?", can go
a long way in setting the tone for the conversation and this person's
day.
Solomon reminds us of how our morning words can go awry if we are
not deliberate and thoughtful, "If you shout a pleasant greeting to your
neighbor too early in the morning, it will be counted as a curse".
But, it was well-intentioned you say to yourself. That's not really
good enough. We need be thoughtfully-intentioned as much as
well-intentioned. This morning may have already started for you, but
tomorrow, try to find some new "morning words" and see if they make a
difference.
Reference: Proverbs 27:14 (New Living Testament)
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