True love is but a humble, low-born thing,
And hath its food served up in earthenware;
It is a thing to walk with, hand in hand,
Through the everydayness of this work-day world,
Baring its tender feet to every roughness,
Yet letting not one heart-beat go astray
From beauty’s law of plainness and content –
A simple, fireside thing, whose quiet smile
Can warm earth’s poorest hovel to a home.
-James Russell Lowell
Recently I dropped off a donation of some newly purchased items at a local charity. The reception I received surprised me. I first went into the office without the items to be sure that I was in the right place and that someone was there to receive the items. When I entered the door, the office seemed deserted, but going down a short hallway, I found an office with three workers. No one got up to greet me. One kept her back towards me, while another smiled sweetly and said that I could indeed bring up the items.
On the way back to my car, I mused at my reception and wistfully thought that it would have been nice if someone had offered to come and help me bring up the donation items. But I believed things would be different when I entered the second time. I brought up the filled laundry basket and bag, through the double door entrance, up the elevator, and down the hall to the office. The ladies still sat at their desks and a fourth worker had joined them. Again, no one got up to receive me or the items. I put them down next to the nearest desk and waited. Maybe I expected some sort of thank you or at least an inquiry as to whom the gifts had come from.
When no one thanked or inquired, I timidly mentioned the church that was responsible for sending the gifts. They may have nodded their heads, but they remained at their tasks as if they didn’t really care. One said, “Every little bit helps.” I wondered a bit at the remark as I knew that the ladies who had sent the items had spent well over $300. Finally, as if it was an afterthought, the fourth lady got up and gave me a pre-printed thank card and some brochures about the ministry.
I left the building feeling unwelcomed and perplexed. My 40 minute drive home was one of serious thoughtfulness. I had previously called the ministry and asked what was needed. I had also called after receiving the gifts to ask about the best time to drop them off. I felt that I had covered my bases. But I wondered if the ministry really needed the items at all. Would I encourage the ladies at my church to support this ministry again next year? Would I direct anyone there for their services?
And I thought about the idea of marketing. That term has always seemed a little unchristian to me. However, lately I have had some interaction with the business school at our local university, and I have come to understand that marketing occurs everywhere in our day-to-day lives. Two students I met at the school were in between their undergraduate degrees in pre-med and their med school days. “Why business?” I had asked incredulously. “Even a doctor needs to have some business sense,” was the reply.
Much of what we do in life requires a little marketing. Knowing how to greet those with whom we come in contact, sharing our enthusiasm for an idea, these require marketing techniques. And whether we want to admit it or not, these techniques keep things like our ministries going. People need to know that they are important to us and to our ministries. I am reminded of something I heard Dr. Jeff Myers say. I am paraphrasing his words, but the idea was to “always treat those you meet as though God loves them.”
Yes, everyone with whom we come in contact should leave with the sense that they and their gifts are welcomed, that they are important in God’s eyes and in our eyes. No one should ever leave our presence feeling as if they had intruded where they were unwanted. We cannot let “one heart-beat go astray” from our presence. Our welcome should “warm earth’s poorest hovel to a home.” Let us greet those around us with the love of our Lord Jesus who always had time to welcome the multitudes into His presence.
