You NEVER get a second chance to make a FIRST impression!

"Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by doing so some people have entertained angels without knowing it" Hebrews 13:12

Whether you're representing your church, your place of employment, your business, or yourself, that first impression to others is critical. Ask yourself, when I meet someone for the first time, what is it that I remember most? What is it about that person I'm drawn to? What is it about that first meeting that would not want me to schedule another? Remember, they are asking themselves that same question about you!

Are you welcoming and accepting? Do you have good eye contact? Are you dressed appropriately? Is your handshake one of confidence, firmness without gripping? Minor things to some, but crucial to be remembered. What people want the most is genuine acceptance. We all do. When making that first impression are you sincere, honst, and "real"?

Take for example, a job interview. That first impression on both sides of the meeting could very likely determine whether that job opening will be filled. First and foremost the important thing is to be yourself! A lot of times our anxieties and nervousness causes us to put that invisible wall up which will not allow us to be who we really are, stealing the opportunity to make a lasting impression. It's ok to be nervous, as long as you allow yourself to be nervous. It's when we don't lean into it that we become phony.

When visiting a new church, people are always looking for that extended hand, that greeting, that acceptance. Is your church one that people want to keep coming back to? Are there people at the door saying good morning? Are you a church of hospitality? Would you want to return? If the numbers of people are declining in your church attendance, the reason might not be coming from the pulpit, but from the front door. Taking an inventory might be in order.

This also includes our facebooks, twitters, and any other social media outlet. First impressions are being made every time our sites are being visited. Especially by people we have never personally met. Are your posts really reflecting who you are or who you want people to think you are? If you met someone personally that you had never met before, but met through facebook, would you be the same person on the street as you are beind your computer screen? Hmm, I wonder how many can actually say they walk the talk.

In closing, you never know who you are going to meet for the first time on a day to day basis. Treat everyone with kindness, acceptance and with a sense of serving. And that works on both sides of the first impression.