Welcome Home



This past year my family and I spent a week at Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL. It was a great time. The weather was perfect, the rides and shows were great, and our accomodations were just fantastic. We stayed at the Wilderness Lodge, one of Disney's "on-site" resorts. Let me tell you, the place is amazing.

When we first arrived at the Lodge, I stepped out of the car and was greated with "Welcome Home". You know, I didn't think much about it, except that it was a clever marketing phrase - a little subliminal message that "you belong here, be sure to come back often and spend lots of money!"

But the more time we spent at Disney, the more comfortable we felt. Everybody, and I mean everybody had a fantastic attitude. Customer service was most definitely the number one thing on their mind, and it showed. It didn't matter whether were riding the boat over to the Magic Kingdom, whether we were eating at The Whispering Canyon Cafe, or whether we were passing a housekeeper in the halls ... the smiles, the warmth, the friendly demeanor was everywhere. And that got me to thinking ...

It made me wonder why we had to pay so much money, and why we had to travel so far from home, to experience this level of customer service. More to the point, it made me wonder whether these people were like this in their "real lives", or whether it was just an act they put on while at work.

And finally, it convicted me! It made me wonder why I didn't act like these people do all the time. It shouldn't be that tough to do. It shouldn't be difficult to smile. It shouldn't take much effort to be friendly. And in reality, if you really desire to do this, it shouldn't take much work to have an others-first-me-last attitude. But it is difficult, it is hard, it does take work.

Why is it so much effort to be nice??

I think we know the answer, don't we? It is selfishness. It is the me-first-others-next attitude that is so ingrained in us. This is nothing new ... it is a part of the human nature to love oneself. In fact, Jesus realized there was no doubt that we think primarily of ourselves, that's why he said what he did in Mark 12:31 ... "love your neighbor as yourself."

So here's the challenge ... to you and to me. Why can't we take this to heart in every part of our lives? Not just at church, not just at home, but in every single area? Why can't we give a level of "customer service" to others that would make Disney World pale by comparison?

It won't be easy ... we will really have to want to do this. But consider the impact we would have on this world if we were to daily live out the attitude behind the words "Welcome Home".

-- BK