A Good First Impression

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            It is true “you only have one time to make a good first impression.”    Do you ever wonder what impression you make on people?  I do.  My personality tends to be positive, outgoing, energetic, friendly, and some would even say “bubbly.”  This usually allows for quick communication between strangers and me (especially since I believe strangers are just friends I haven’t met yet.)  I take great joy in saying hello to passersby or paying a compliment just because I can!  When I do that, it is spontaneous and totally sincere and very often, to compliment a stranger, is to see them light up in total surprise.  

            When I was just a young teenager I met someone who I immediately liked, but because of circumstances never had the opportunity to know.  Not only did I not get to know this person, I never knew I’d even made an impression! Many, many years later, quite to my surprise, this same person came back into my life.  That first impression from years ago was still solid.  I had, without knowing, made an impression that remained for over forty years!

When I reflect on some of my peers in high school, I was positively certain that again, I had made no impression at all, but am surprised by the kindness and warmth that is shared as I get to know them as adults!  What a treat!  Honestly, I am amazed they would remember me at all!  Why do we remember some people and have to search deep within our filing systems to recall another?  Am I the only one baffled by this?   

It concerns me to see how young people (and some not so young!) in our modern world who sometimes seem to simply not care what impression they make on anyone.  Whether it is attitude, clothes, body art, or body “accessories” each leaves an impression!  The sad thing is when the opportunity presents itself for a job interview, each of these elements is important for making a first impression.  Add to this a less than decent vocabulary and unpleasant personality and they can’t possibly be prepared to project their best. 

When someone meets you, what do they see?  What do you want them to see?  Do you present your best personality with polite manners and social graces, or at least a degree of friendliness and genuineness or are you one who doesn’t care if another person likes you or not?  There are those who really don’t care.  I guess I wonder about that.  What does a person think of himself to have that kind of attitude?  This is certainly, in my mind, not a Christian approach.

 I’d like to think when I meet someone for the first time (and every time thereafter) that I would project Christ.  I want people to see the fruits of The Spirit as defined in Galatians 5:22-23:  love, joy, peace, forbearance (patience), kindness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Do I give my best to God, relative to how I live, my behaviors, attitude, and the impressions I make on other people?  Do people remember the “godliness” in me?  —and note, that doesn’t mean being fake or less than genuine.  If talking in private with another person, what would they say?  Impressions aren’t important to a lot of people, since we’ve become an “it’s all about me” society.  But is it really supposed to be this way?  

I guess I am searching, as I write this.   I do care about what people think of me, especially relative to my faith.  Am I truly projecting what God wants?  I’d love to hear your thoughts on this.  Am I odd to care about what people think?  Does it really matter?