A Godly Home

Chapter 1

Entry: A Greeting of Gratitude

Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something
bigger and better than your current situation.
Brian Tracey

Congratulations on taking the first step in making a positive change in your life! You could desire anything from a wide range of goals: finding a mate, getting gainfully employed, finishing your degree, eliminating debt, finding spiritual peace, or improving relationships. Whatever it is you seek in order to be content, you have the power within you to obtain it.

Even though the goals listed above can act as catalysts for personal happiness, one has to eventually question how long this happiness will remain. This never-ending ebb and flow of happiness is comparable to filling a balloon with air over-and-over, only to have it repeatedly deflate. You can keep refilling it, but the balloon will eventually give out. Talk about frustrating! God did not intend for His children to be worn-out balloons. Therefore, as godly women, we must seek joy that keeps us spiritually inflated on a regular basis.

Before I share my philosophy with you, I would first like to share my journey.

When I was a younger woman, I wanted things to happen to me or for me to make me happy. For example, I recall that in my twenties I lived for a compliment from my husband. I would go out and buy a new dress, but my smile only came after he remarked on how good I looked. In my thirties, I wasn’t happy until our bank account grew, or our home was built, or we acquired other material things.

With age comes wisdom, as they say. It wasn’t until my forties that I got my “aha moment,” realizing that happiness is short-lived if you depend on external factors—other people and things—to create it. From that moment on, the equation was simple:

happiness inside = happiness outside

This realization gave me a fresh perspective of God’s Word. Nehemiah 8:10 states, “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” It’s only one sentence, but it has more than one valuable lesson:

1. God wants us to have joy.
2. God wants us to be strong.
3. Our Lord brings joy to those who put their faith in Him.

We often spend our lives running like hamsters on one of those wheelslots of spinning without ever getting anyplace. This easily becomes a pattern in our lives, and we don’t realize that we are looking to other people or things to be the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

I was weary of the peaks and valleys of that lifestyle, and I wanted the cycle to end. I began to surround myself with people who were not hamsters, so to speak. I befriended a special lady named Opal.

My doorbell rang each day, and I knew it was my best friend, Opal. How did I know? Opal had a distinct habit of ringing the doorbell twice and following it with a single knock. My entire family knew who it was, and someone would shout, “Ms. Opal is here!” We all loved Opalexcept my husband, Leon. Leon didn’t dislike her, but he just couldn’t figure out why this lady came to our home each day and why was she always so happy. At the time, my husband didn’t know the Lord, so he thought Opal was annoyingly perky when, in fact, she was truly joyful. People often confuse happiness and joy, but there is a world of difference. Happiness is predicated upon what happens in our lives. Joy is that sincere peace within that radiates outward to touch others. Opal had the latter, as well as an infectious, radiant smile that one just could not help but return.

Ms. Opal truly lived up to the dazzling jewel of her name. She always had a kind word for everyone in my home, and she specifically sought out my husband to speak to him. She wanted God’s best for my family, including Leon. It almost seemed a daily mission for her to seek him out and speak to him, even if his reply was less than pleasant.

“How are you doing today, Leon?” Opal would ask.

“Fine. Why do you always ask me that?” he’d reply.

Initially, Leon just could not figure out why this lady would make it a point to seek him out and inquire about his well-being. After all, it wasn’t as if they were close. So why should she care? But Opal’s joy was earnest too. She spoke to him every time she visited. Over time, my husband came to realize that Opal was sharing God’s love with everyone; it didn’t matter if you were her bosom buddy or merely an acquaintance. Everyone was under one umbrella in Opal’s world.

Opal’s cheerful disposition is explained in Proverbs 18:24 (NKJV), which says, “A man who has friends must himself be friendly.” Opal didn’t wait on someone to befriend her first. Instead, she seized the initiative and ensured that she was always friendly and helpful to whomever she encountered. Inevitably, this led to her having many friends, simply because folks could so easily recognize Opal’s own friendliness, which encouraged them to reciprocate her kindness. Opal’s greetings of gratitudegreetings that showed others she was thankful to be in their companyserved as her invitation to have a deeper conversation filled with meaning and purpose.

First impressions are always important. What better place to make a good first impression than at one’s front door? It’s the perfect opportunity to immediately set the tone for future interactions with people who come to your home.

Think about someone who is currently an important part of your life, and remember back to the time when you first met him or her. Human nature would indicate that you most likely made an almost immediate assessment of them based on your first impression. I would even go so far as to say that portions of your first impression remain to this day.

I like to consider Opal’s ringing of my doorbell as an announcement of something wonderful. I’m sure you’ve heard of opportunity knocking. A knock at the door notifies us that this is our chance to greet someone and make a good first impression. It could be a family member, a neighbor, a solicitor, or an enemy disguised as a friend.

Regardless of who it is, we as godly women have a moral responsibility to maintain gratitude toward anyone who comes to the front door. Even if it happens to be someone I may not wish to converse with at that time, it is still my responsibility to maintain a sense of gratitude and to discover the reason for his or her visit. God evidently wanted me to cross paths with these people; therefore, I am obligated to see what joy I can bring to their lives.

I now realize that, every day, God gives me not only the opportunity but the responsibility to positively affect the lives of all who set foot in my house. My outlook may well set the tone for the rest of that person’s dayand possibly even beyond that. I came to understand that God wanted me to honor Him with my home, so I made it a point to greet every guest with three things: a smile, a positive word, and an appropriate touch.

Smile

Did you know that it takes more muscles to frown than it does to smile? Seriously, think about occasions when someone greets you, especially when you arrive at his or her home. Doesn’t a warm smile make all the difference? It makes you feel welcome. Clearly, they want you to visit, and they are happy to see you. A smile can also lift a person’s spirits. What a privilege it is to do something powerful and wonderfulall with the simplicity of a smile!

Come On In!