7….Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 1:7b ESV)

This very common greeting Paul provides some insight into how we should greet others, if not by word, by deed.

Our interactions should be a blessing to others and how can they be if we do not begin by speaking a silent blessing over them. I have run some very unscientific experiments over the years regarding this. Before meetings I said prayers of blessings. Before meeting with people who were contentious, I said prayers over them. Whether it was from this prayer that those interactions went better or simply the fact that my head was in a better space I cannot say. However, when I remember to (and that is often), I find that my interactions go better.

Grace and peace to you. What better way to silently greet another. It is sad that society today would be unsure how to take such a greeting, but how beautiful it is. If we truly believe the words we speak silently or out loud to another we are providing them with something they may not know they need, but we all do.

Paul concludes his greeting by acknowledging where this grace and peace comes from. He is not acting upon his own behalf but on behalf of Jesus and God the Father. We are missionaries to everyone we meet. Let us spread grace and peace.