Here are a few snippets from last week:

• I took my kids to a park, forgetting that teens from the nearby high school spend their lunch break there and fill the air with profanities.  Hours later, my four-year-old son shot off a round of expletives that had never before left his mouth.
• I met up with a friend for a short while, then gave her a hug when we had to go our separate ways.  I could smell her sweet perfume on my clothing the rest of the day.
• I served green beans with dinner.  Rather than hearing my daughter scream in protest like normal, she grabbed the salt shaker, sprinkled some on, then reminded me that she now likes this vegetable thanks to watching a friend put a little spice on it.

What do these three occurrences have in common?  They all remind me that people rub off on us, whether they’re aware of it or not.  There’s no way the teens in the park could have known that their choice of words would influence my young son’s vocabulary.  They simply talked as they normally did, thereby causing Gabe to talk in a way contrary to his normal speech.  My friend couldn’t have guessed that she’d cause me to smell like her perfume, nor could Micayla’s friend imagine that my daughter would become excited over the vegetable that just last month she protested.

Accidental rubbing off.  If people can rub off on us so quickly, I can only imagine we do the same to others.  Questions is, what do we want to rub off onto others?  Griping and complaining, or praise and adoration.

Let your conversation be gracious and attractive? so that you will have the right response for everyone.” (Colossians 4:6,NLT)

We all like familiarity. The familiar feeling of a comfortable pair of jeans; pulling into the driveway of our comfortable home after a long day; the familiar voices of our closest friends and family, but what happens when things aren’t familiar? What happens when our comfort level is kicked up a few notches?

I experienced this feeling of “discomfort” over the weekend. My husband’s company held a family picnic at a nearby park. I’ll admit it was not on my Top 10 List of events I wanted to participate in this weekend. If I had my choice I would much rather be with my peeps—my friends and family that are familiar to me. Then the thought crossed my mind: Who are my peeps anyway, and what makes me so comfortable with them?

I will admit that about 95% of my circle of friends are Christians. We share a common bond. Our conversations are safe. We share a mutual view on current issues. There is a depth-ness to our conversations because they center around our mighty God. I find myself socially confident in these circles, but put me with a group of corporate, possibly pretentious, strangers, and I feel like an outsider.

“Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Colossians 4:5”

This scripture hit me as we were driving to the picnic. How often do “outsiders” visit church each weekend only to feel completely uncomfortable? Are they greeted with a smile and a handshake, or turned away because they feel they’ve walked in on a sacred party they know nothing about? Do they feel silly asking a question because everyone looks like they know exactly where to go and what to do? Hmmm. Definitely some food for thought.

As it turned out the picnic was great! I met several wonderful people who shook my hand with a smile. They welcomed me and made me feel, dare I say, comfortable? They weren’t pretentious, like I had conjured up in my mind. The afternoon was very enjoyable. And, to top it off, my sweet daughters won a cash prize for the three-legged race! Go figure.

I learned from a few simple, but profound words in scripture, that being wise and making the most of every opportunity can sometimes be as simple as being friendly and reaching out to others who I may so easily ignore and pass by on any given day.