The Disturbance

I heard their voices as I waited in line.
The voices were not angry as much as they were intense.
Each person was trying to make their point.
Neither one seemed to be listening to the other.

All the commotion was at the customer service desk.
It was obvious there was a vast difference of opinion.
The contention was over money.
The problem seemed to be over discounts and savings.

Anyone can understand people wanting to save money.
However, this disagreement seemed to be escalating.
The woman who usually works at the customer service desk was there.
She has a no nonsense attitude and can handle anything.

However, this customer proved to be a challenge.
There was no pleasing her, so a manager was brought in to help.
Neither one seemed to understand the other.
I unloaded my groceries and was beginning to bag them.

My cashier was scanning my items but she was looking at the customer service desk.
Unbelievable, she exclaimed.
They have been going at this for a while, she added.
Honestly, I would just give her the money and tell her to shop somewhere else.

Working with the public is not easy, my cashier said.
You meet all kinds of people in this job, she said with emphasis.
I knew she was talking about temperament.
I can just imagine the things she has to deal with each day.

I was not facing the two people at the customer service desk.
When I did turn around, I saw a receipt being waved in front of the woman behind the counter.
I saw fingers pointing to this item and that item.
I heard dollar amounts being discussed.

The customer was not happy.
From my vantage point, the manager was doing her best.
I could see her calm demeanor beginning to unravel.
I could hear the tone of her voice changing.

It doesn’t take much time to be nice to people, my cashier said.
Being nice diffuses everything, she wisely said.
I thought of the smile game I played with my children.
I told her about it.

I would take all five of my children food shopping.
The older ones had jobs to do and things to find for me.
When we went to the deli counter to buy our cheese, my daughter always noticed something.
Mom, they’re not smiling, she would say about the person behind the counter.

The smile game was born.
Let’s see who can get the person to smile first, I challenged.
They would smile at the person behind the counter.
Even the grumpiest person could not resist a little child.

It was a wonderful game to play.
It taught my children that a smile is contagious.
We talked about how we never know what someone is going through.
We can still smile and perhaps change their mood for a time.

The cashier loved the story.
I need to try that, she said laughing.
Some people can be so nasty, she admitted.
It’s worth a try, she decided.

When all my groceries were bagged, the people at the customer service desk were still arguing.
Nothing was getting accomplished.
Circular arguments are futile.
Emotions run high; reason is laid aside.

Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels.  And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. (2 Timothy 2:23,24)

We think that being right takes precedence over being kind.
We stand our ground.
We dig our heels in.
We will not budge.

For all intents and purposes, that is what was happening at the customer service desk.
Each person stood their ground with the counter between them.
I imagined a dual in the Wild West.
There they stood, back to back; they walked ten paces, and then faced each other.

You knew that a scene like that never ends well.
I have no idea how this scene ended, because it was still going on when I left the store.
At what point do you lay the argument aside?
At what point do you just walk away?

Being right is not as important as being faithful and kind.
Someone has to extend the olive branch.
Someone has to walk more than halfway across the bridge.
Winning the argument is not the most important thing.

We, who are in Christ, should care more about God’s name and God’s glory.
We represent God in our daily life.
We, who are in Christ, should care about our behavior.
How well are we doing?

Does it matter that we win all the time?
We have God’s glory to consider.
Solomon wrote about such things in his book of Proverbs.
His short, pithy statements are helpful.

If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you.
(Proverbs 25:21, 22)

Let’s look for an alternative.
Smile game anyone?

2 responses to “The Disturbance”

1. This is great reminder! I tend to want to be right more than kind. That does not build relationships or reflect Christ. There are very few things we need to be right about other than the gospel.

   Reply

   • Amen, Paula!
     we all need these reminders from time to time.
     Gina

     Reply