Sticks and Stones…
It happened to me again this week. Something that used to happen to me all the time several years ago when I had a different job… Something that always makes me feel so bad and awful inside…
Venom…
was spewed…
out on ME…
by a customer…
A customer… that felt the need to berate me for what they thought was a mistake or two that I had made. A customer that could have easily told me this in a less threatening manner. A customer that could have let it go even, moving on to something else.
But no…
The customer had to throw sticks and stones.
They had to literally ‘go off’ on me with a fired up email (in all CAPS of course) telling me how worthless I am and that they can’t believe that I am so incompetent… And better yet, they sent a message about the whole situation to my boss (for real?!), saying that I do this all the time and I should get it right and blah blah blah…
All this energy and poison and effort exerted… when the situation that they spoke of really wasn’t that bad at all.
For some people, extra grace is required.
My instinctive reaction to events like this is to fire right back at them. Tell them they are wrong, or that speaking to me in this manner should not be tolerated, or I should talk to “their” boss about their vicious style of communication.
But Real Christian Businessmen do not do this.
It isn’t necessarily about turning the other cheek (although that that is a good approach to take).
It isn’t about being passive either (roll over all the time or you will get buried).
It is about showing LOVE in situations like this.
1 John 4:7 “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God…”
These are the hardest times to show love! When the person involved is part of how you earn your income and they choose to treat you like this. Yes, I am saying we should LOVE this person, and even pray for them, as the Bible teaches us.
Believe me, I know this is hard. I don’t do this as much as I should myself!
You see, the person that spewed venom all over me (or you), ISN’T THINKING TWICE ABOUT WHAT THEY SAID at this point. And if I rehash it, think about it, wonder how I am going to react to it, dwell on it, etc. this only continues to poison ME, and doesn’t even come close to affecting the person that said these things.
Showing Jesus’ Love (maybe even praying for them!), is the only way to continue to b a Christ Follower – just as Jesus would have us do.
Could you pray for someone that treated you this way?