Bet you can't guess; How one orca asked the other to be his valentine? Well he said, "Whale you be mine"?
Thursday 1/26
Prov. 27:14 "A loud and cheerful greeting early in the morning will be taken as a curse!"
Well, to all those early risers, such as myself, you may be scratching your head over this one. Right?
Let's begin first of all, to the person who had great difficulty falling to sleep, then they want to be left in their state of slumber, so to loudly greet them, early in the morning is an unwelcome encounter. Once they get through that first cup of coffee, well now, this is a welcome time for any form of expression, but, before this is seen as an insult.
In other words, a praise, or cheerful welcome is received more favorably after the morning has comfortably, slowly begun.
So, to put it in a nut shell, timing & sensitivity are vital skills of communication. The wrong time for the right action causes it to be received as an irritation rather than a warming, caring expression. Or from another twist, even constant excessive flattery raises suspicion of a potentially selfish ambition. "Must be a sales tactic".
If you've ever watched the movie "Dennis the Menace" you get the idea from Mr. Wilson; that was a parody on all of the ways to become a menace to an already grumpy person. But it does demonstrate this warning very well.
A short response could be; Be careful to not become a menace.
A life of balance is a great gift. Growing up in the Midwest, this was a difficult pill for me to swallow, here on the west coast. For there if they have a fence, it isn't for privacy but to keep the animals, or wandering children in. When you arrive at a stop sign & someone enters across the way, it is impolite to not wave in greeting. To ignore a neighbor without at the very least a greeting or at very least a warm smile, when he is working on his yard or car in front of his house is an insult. These are just a few of the idioms of that part of the world.
However, even there, if you go outside in the early morning & yell a welcoming greeting before even the birds wake up, well that won't be received well. Ha!!
So Go With God for He guides & covers us even in these simple etiquette issues.
I remember as a little boy I thought everyone wanted to wave, I will never forget my surprise when a man was holding up a heavy pot, when in my eyes he was refusing to wave back, I was so sad. I cried & was sad when my mother who was born in a large town in Indiana, (they were stuffy there) had to stop and comfort me & explain this important earth shattering concept to me. Not everyone has this innate desire to express a welcoming word or expression.
However, I have found that a smiling countenance, opens many angry, hard hearts. Try it, just an infectious smile warms the harshest moment for those around you. No words, just a warm smile, many times that sets the stage for warming up an otherwise cold uncaring atmosphere.
In fact, shhh, keep this a secret, are you listening? (Whisper) This is especially effective to that person standing next you in line who you swear ate tempered nails every morning for breakfast. Just a warm smile, no words, they can't resist. Try it they at the very least will stare at you, then slowly you will see their inner tension will disapaite, ever so slightly, the longer, the better.
Try it you'll like it. Lets rain comfort, love, compassion on those around us. They dewere sperately need it.
Thank you Pastor for help on understanding that Provetb