Friday, September 28

The blessing of being welcome


I talked with the receptionist in my doctor's office this morning.  She was helpful and friendly, and when I thanked her, she answered cheerfully, "You're welcome."

I was stunned at how glad my heart was to hear these simple words.

You don't hear them much any more, do you?  People say "thank you" a lot, but the reply is usually "No problem," "Sure thing," or maybe "My pleasure."  Very few people use the traditional reply  of "You're welcome."

It occurred to me that it's sad for "you're welcome" to have fallen into disuse.  Why?  Because I need to be reminded that I'm welcome.  For someone to make space in his or her life for me--to help me, to assist me, to encourage me, to accommodate me--those things are all important.  Those are the kinds of things to which I might say "thank you," and rightly so.   Somehow it's very reassuring to me to hear that I am welcome in that person's life and space.


I need to hear it from God, too.  As I consider all his blessings, I can't help but thank him.  I need to be reminded that he's glad to bless me, glad to make room for me, glad to share his life with me.   I need to listen as his gentle voice says, "You're welcome."

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above,
and comes down from the Father of lights, 
with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning" (James 1:17, NKJV).

What about you?

**I'm joining Vanessa and Heather At the Picket Fence for Inspiration Friday 
and Amanda at Serenity Now for Weekend Bloggy Reading.**



8 comments:

  1. Yes! I totally agree. The "old" niceties are going away, being replaced with words that just don't mean as much.

    Interesting, isn't it, how changing "You're welcome" to "My pleasure" turns the focus around to the person who's doing the good deed rather than focusing on the person who said "Thank you"? (For the record, it makes me snicker every time someone says, "My pleasure." It's just so fake!)

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  2. I agree too. I actually talked to my son about this the other day because he has fallen into the habit of saying, "Yep". It doesn't sound very nice.

    You're welcome is much nicer in every way.

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  3. When we lived in Finland, it was so so courteous to thank everyone for everything: clerks, especially. I remember well the Finnish word for Thank You, but you know, I don't remember the word for You're Welcome. It was amusing at times, because people would thank you for your thanks and it could on and on all day. My daughter, Judy, whom I think you were in college with was just a tiny girl, but she keep the word for thanks and used it often.

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  4. Yes, I agree with Shelly and I think so many of our kind words are being replaced with hasty words.

    I feel very blessed to feel "I'm Welcome" on a daily basis. After spending months going to and from my cancer clinic I have been hit by how well I have come thru my chemo and radiation. Others, young and old, are struggling and hurting every single day and it breaks my heart.

    On Thursday I watched a very young man, maybe 20's, bone thin, barely walking with a cane, finally wind up laying on the floor in the waiting room - his body in so much pain. My heart hurt seeing him, especially as a mom with kids that age. And yes, I thanked God for my body, even fighting this cancer, and knew He was there with me saying "Your Welcome"

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  6. Aw...I never thought of God uttering "You're welcome" to me when I express gratitude to Him.
    I think I'll love to imagine that now.
    By the way, thank you for your blog.
    HUGS,
    me

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  7. I've honestly never thought of "you're welcome" this way, and now I'm determined to use it more!

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  8. i notice it too... and sometimes i am guilty of it! but now i will think of you & your thoughts on it. welcome. it is a warm, lovely blessing.

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