Transparent Christian Magazine

Have you ever been stopped in your tracks by the ordinary things of life?

Today, I was checking out at the Walmart cashier.

She said, “Have a great day.”

I responded with the typical, “Thanks. You too.”

I almost tripped when she said, “Thank you, I will.”

It is such a common thing, and how often do we say that without meaning it? Saying that phrase was something I never thought about, or even truly meant.

I was reminded of a situation recently when my sister had her car stolen with her wallet inside. A week later they found her very nice, Chrysler Aspen with no sign of her credit cards or cash. The vehicle had been trashed. It was scraped up, used as a drug “house”, and filled with x-rated materials.

When he was caught, like most of us, I was not having the nicest thoughts about this criminal. I wanted to know how long he would be punished. I sent the email out to everyone who had prayed to let them know what happened. We had found out his name. One of my friends sent back a response.

“I’m so happy God answered prayer and now that we know his name. We can pray for him.”

I blinked several times, and felt completely ashamed. Yes, he will reap the consequences of his actions, but I’m sure he did not start his life as a career criminal. Somewhere along the way, he made a wrong turn. God loves him. Pray for him?

Cliché. It means a trite or overused expression or idea, or a person or character whose behavior is predictable or superficial.

I do not want to be trite or superficial. I want to mean what I say, and say what I mean. I want to treat people the way I want to be treated.

I challenge you. I challenge myself. The next time you say, “Have a nice day,” do something that isn’t cliché. Actually, mean it. Kindness and honesty will take you a whole lot further then superficial, pretentious, or trite actions and words.

Michelle