Most Important Lesson

by Kathy Sullivan

A nursing student shares a profound memory from her academic career. “During my second month of nursing school,” she wrote, “our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions, until I read the last one: What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?

“Surely, this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade. ‘Absolutely,’ said the professor. ‘In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say ‘hello’. I’ve never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.” ~ author unknown

The nurse’s professor echoes the challenge and promise of Jesus.

If you want to be great, serve. Jesus reminds us “whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.” To call someone by name is to affirm the person’s dignity, uniqueness and significance. If we need to ask again, “What’s your name?” have the humility to do so. If you meet someone new, focus on that person. Forget about impressing; take a genuine interest. Try this. Say the person’s name three times in conversation. Notice the color of the person’s eye. Hear yourself say the name out loud.

A person’s name is the difference between a stranger and a friend; the difference between a prospect and your newest customer.

Remembering names isn’t necessarily about having a good memory. It’s more about caring enough to have a trained memory. Don’t get discouraged if later today you find yourself forgetting the name of someone you just met. This habit takes practice. And it’s a habit we can master. Our Lord called us by name. Let’s imitate Him by following this divine practice.

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Kathleen M. Sullivan, PhD, is CEO of Spiritual Outreach through Leadership, LLC, a speaker, and author of I Had Lunch with God: Gospel Inspirations for Tough Times