What's In a Greeting? ~ By Angie Maldonado

Oh what joy fills my soul when my days begin with, "Good morning, mommy," instead of, "Mooommmmmyyyyy, sissy is calling me names and I want her out of my room!"  With four and six year old girls, sometimes their feet haven't hit the floor before they are arguing and bantering with each other from their beds.  That is not how I like to greet my day!

That greeting is so crucial.  How we greet each other sets the tone of all our conversation that follows.  When my girls greet me at 7am with animosity, I have a very hard time rising above that in my proceeding interactions with them.

Before I point the finger too heavily at my girls, let me say, the same application holds true in my greeting with my husband (or anyone else).  Most of us go all day without much interaction with our spouses.  Through the day, either they are at work, while we're home "holding down the fort," or both parties are at work; leaving plenty of time for thoughts and pressures to simmer and stew.  When the end of the day reunion occurs, it is easy for our greeting to be an outpouring of those simmering pressures, instead of one of blessing.  This can set the stage for an evening filled with frustration and tension.

Sometimes it is not just our choice of words that taint the greeting, but the tone with which we convey the words.  I know I can sometimes choose words carefully, yet dramatize them with great sarcastic flair!  My subtle words are then drowned out by the manner in which they are delivered; potentially putting my husband on the defensive.

The reality is, our days are filled with stressors.  And if we let the ball drop right there and spend eight to ten hours a day dwelling on them, our greetings will reflect that.  However, Paul tells us, in Philippians 4:8, to let our minds dwell on whatever is true, right, pure, lovely, praiseworthy, etc.  Throughout our day, we must be careful of where our minds dwell - what our ongoing thoughts are.  Many things we dwell on certainly won't matter in five years, but the manner in which we speak to our husbands will.  If we're dwelling on the negative, it can breed bitterness and resentment, which can affect our physical and spiritual health as well.  If we're dwelling on the word of God, it will flow in our spoken word.

So, when we greet our husbands at the end of the day, let it be with a gentle, quiet spirit, instead of with the list of things "his children" did wrong, or all the tasks he has not completed.  Greet him with a kiss and a smile.  The power of a smile is outstanding, for the giver and the receiver. Remember the greeting sets the tone.  You can share your frustrations later, but give him the blessing of a sweet greeting.  His response will likely be more positive after such a welcome.

Ask yourself, is my speech "seasoned with salt," or is it seasoned with chili pepper?

~ Angie Maldonado is a home schooling mom of two girls (ages 4 and 6) and an Army wife.  She and her family currently reside in Fort Benning, Georgia.  Her greatest goal in life is to leave a remarkable spiritual legacy to her two girls and to see them mature with hearts to serve the Lord.  She enjoys crafting, decorating, reading and of course, writing.  Angie has experienced the renovating power of the Lord at work in her marriage, and considers it a great blessing to use what she has learned to help build other women in their faith.  She is working on her first book dedicated to encouraging women to let their lights shine for the Lord Jesus.