Be kind...
"...And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God [Yah] in Christ [Yeshua] forgave you." Ephesians 4:32
Who would have thought that a quick trip to a home improvement store to do a return, would be a life lesson for me? But then I tend to see "lessons" in a lot of things that others may deem silly or nonsensical...I'm just built that way I guess 😜
I entered the building and an obvious employee is just standing there leaning against a wall, so I say to him in a cheerful voice "Hi! How are you, on break?" and I don't know if it was my goofy smile or my perfume but he immediately tensed up and got annoyed and said in a gruff voice "No, I'm JUST standing here!" Well no one had to tell me to turn my head, look and move forward without another word. What a greeting! Sheesh!
Okay then I go to the Customer service desk, you know the desk where you get help...that's so funny in most cases nowadays. Anyway I stand there for a couple of minutes before an employee CHOOSES to see me, the person then turns their head back around then...was that a beckoning hand telling me to come over or was she just rotating her wrist to get a kink out? It was like I was the last person on earth that she wanted to see and I was really messing up her day. Once again a very unhappy person as she constantly looks at her watch as I am explaining why I am returning the item. What caused me to ask her if she was okay, was when she sighed and made a face like she was in pain. Now I know that I can be a pain sometimes, but really? I'd only been standing there for a minute, 3 minutes if you count the 2 I had to wait until you decided to call me over like I was a toddler waiting my turn to go potty. She clearly was letting me know that she did not want to hear nor take care of my problem. By now I am steaming inside right?
Now here's the funny part...I remembered a little towel that I have hanging in my upstairs bathroom, one that I had found on a clearance table in a store I can't even recall...it says simply "Be Kind"...Now I would have LOVED to have had that towel to use to pop up side the 2 very UNKIND people that I'd just experienced in that store... but on second thought...that message was for ME ! I put that towel there to remind me everyday how important it is to "Be kind" so...I guess seeing it everyday, several times a day, it was engraved in my head AND it was the Holy Spirit doing His job.😊 So my response to those people was kindness, didn't feel it at first but in a split second, I understood that it is not about me, but about what or rather WHO I represent. It's not about being phony, but realizing that sometimes the feeling doesn't come until you begin to do it by faith. God honored my faith and I was able to treat them as I would have liked to have been treated, I was kind.
Just a reminder for those that will be out and about this season, a season when people seem to have less patience and rudeness is in rare form...be kind. I know that there are folks out there that can be very awful, but even though it may be hard, try to remember that God has forgiven us of so many things and has seen us in our ugliest state and yet...He forgives and loves us still...so...be kind.
Who would have thought that a quick trip to a home improvement store to do a return, would be a life lesson for me? But then I tend to see "lessons" in a lot of things that others may deem silly or nonsensical...I'm just built that way I guess 😜
I entered the building and an obvious employee is just standing there leaning against a wall, so I say to him in a cheerful voice "Hi! How are you, on break?" and I don't know if it was my goofy smile or my perfume but he immediately tensed up and got annoyed and said in a gruff voice "No, I'm JUST standing here!" Well no one had to tell me to turn my head, look and move forward without another word. What a greeting! Sheesh!
Okay then I go to the Customer service desk, you know the desk where you get help...that's so funny in most cases nowadays. Anyway I stand there for a couple of minutes before an employee CHOOSES to see me, the person then turns their head back around then...was that a beckoning hand telling me to come over or was she just rotating her wrist to get a kink out? It was like I was the last person on earth that she wanted to see and I was really messing up her day. Once again a very unhappy person as she constantly looks at her watch as I am explaining why I am returning the item. What caused me to ask her if she was okay, was when she sighed and made a face like she was in pain. Now I know that I can be a pain sometimes, but really? I'd only been standing there for a minute, 3 minutes if you count the 2 I had to wait until you decided to call me over like I was a toddler waiting my turn to go potty. She clearly was letting me know that she did not want to hear nor take care of my problem. By now I am steaming inside right?
Now here's the funny part...I remembered a little towel that I have hanging in my upstairs bathroom, one that I had found on a clearance table in a store I can't even recall...it says simply "Be Kind"...Now I would have LOVED to have had that towel to use to pop up side the 2 very UNKIND people that I'd just experienced in that store... but on second thought...that message was for ME ! I put that towel there to remind me everyday how important it is to "Be kind" so...I guess seeing it everyday, several times a day, it was engraved in my head AND it was the Holy Spirit doing His job.😊 So my response to those people was kindness, didn't feel it at first but in a split second, I understood that it is not about me, but about what or rather WHO I represent. It's not about being phony, but realizing that sometimes the feeling doesn't come until you begin to do it by faith. God honored my faith and I was able to treat them as I would have liked to have been treated, I was kind.
Just a reminder for those that will be out and about this season, a season when people seem to have less patience and rudeness is in rare form...be kind. I know that there are folks out there that can be very awful, but even though it may be hard, try to remember that God has forgiven us of so many things and has seen us in our ugliest state and yet...He forgives and loves us still...so...be kind.
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