I have four children. Whenever I’d leave the house when they were little, there usually was someone trying to cling to me as I walked out the door. When I’d drive off, more often than not, one of my kids was waving to me through the glass door.
Unfortunately, because of glare, I couldn’t always see them waving. This, of course, was a problem because occasionally I would drive off and not wave back…leaving the child in tears. Eventually, I learned to wave at the window regardless of whether I could see someone there or not. I just didn’t don’t want the last impression I left to be one where it seems I didn’t care.
Last Impressions are Important
I’ve been thinking about this and I believe the same principle holds true for pastors. We must be intentional about how we leave people.
I’ve heard of churches that not only have greeters but they also have good-byers. That’s right! They’ve got people who are responsible for saying good-bye as people leave just so the last impression is one of friendliness.
Last Impressions are Lasting Impressions
We spend a lot of time on first impressions, and those are certainly important, but we need to remember that last impressions last a long time too.
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