My daughter works in a bank and she often tells us of experiences with rude customers. People speak rude and treat her unkind, she is yelled at and belittled, all for doing her job and following guidelines -often Federal guidelines- set before her. My other daughter works in a retail store. She has had much of the same experiences. People yelling at her and treating her rudely, all for doing what she was taught and trained to do.
If I can be honest, I have been the rude one. Upset when something didn't go the way I thought it should. Yelled at a worker for simply doing what they were supposed to do. Last year while shopping, I found this shirt I loved. The price was right so I decided to make the purchase. At the register, the cashier could not get the shirt to ring up. She called the manager over. The manager informed her that there was a recall on the shirt and they couldn't sell it to me. I was upset. The shirt was still on the floor with a tag on it. Why not sell it to me? It's was women's clothing, what kind of recall could it possibly have? I was unkind to the manager, and she was just doing her job.
The Bible tells us over and over to be kind. We are called by God to be kind to one another. The thing about the Bible is there is no fine print. It doesn't say, be kind unless they do something wrong or be kind unless they have treated you unfair. It simply says be kind.
You never know what someone is going through. You never know what they have faced. When we treat someone rude out of our own frustration, we are only adding to the problem and we are certainly not being the light of Jesus. Maybe that cashier you yelled at for taking so long has been up all night with a sick child. Maybe that bank teller you were rude to just lost a parent. Maybe that car speeding by and cutting through traffic just got a call that her husband was rushed to the hospital. You don't know the other side so instead of treating someone unkind, step back, take a deep breath, and be kind. Offer a smile. Be compassionate.
Let's be women who honor God by being kind and compassionate to one another.
It's time for Share A Link Wednesday! Each Wednesday we invite you to leave a link to your latest blog post in the comments. We still desire to connect women of God with one another and encourage each other in Christ. So grab a cup of coffee or glass of sweet tea, sit back and visit a few blogs. Be encouraged and share your own stories.
May I remember that kindness may just change another person's day around.
ReplyDeleteMy post today: http://www.joanneviola.com/2019/06/for-god-so-loved-the-world/
I worked in retail for several years. I could tell you stories. :-) That really helped curb my frustration with sales clerks. But it still crops up all too often. Even when I am not being actively unkind, I am caught up in my own thoughts, not taking the time to be actively kind. Thank you for the reminder.
ReplyDeleteI wrote this week about Bible study, how learning about the parts helps us understand the whole: https://barbarah.wordpress.com/2019/06/10/studying-the-parts-to-understand-the-whole/
Yes, Kindness first. It's amazing how many doors kindness can open to the gospel.
ReplyDeleteHere's this week's book review: https://michelemorin.wordpress.com/2019/06/10/the-treasure-buried-weakness/
A clerk at Target was super kind to me today when my card wouldn't work. Their machines were messing up all morning, so he could have been grouchy, but instead he was patient. Kindness is a gift! May we give it doublefold today, whether we receive it from others or not. Thanks for this reminder, Jenifer.
ReplyDeleteI write here about a homeless friend who wants to write his life story in a book:
https://www.lisanotes.com/the-book-inside/
Kindness. It goes so far in our messed up world. I should wait till tomorrow to reply here as I am sharing about an awesome movie based on a true story of kindness. But I also want to share my Legacy Linkup post fo Father's Day. https://www.mandyandmichele.com/the-greatest-legacy-a-fathers-love/
ReplyDelete