I like to think of myself as a rather laid back kinda guy.
Until very recently it would take a lot to get me riled up and all up in people’s faces in an antagonistic and aggressive manner. Overt violence is not my first port of call as a reaction to nuisances. Of very late I have been rather irritable which has roots in the diversion that I was on not so long ago.
In any case, chilled out as I enjoy being, I know one thing that has been sent by the Lord to test our patience is some of the foolishness that passes for customer service at places like a local council, JobCentre or when you’re sorting out a utility bill. I love to avoid it whenever possible and must pray much in preparation when I have to engage with them, because I am aware of the high likelihood of being passed from one department to another and one hombre to another with an ever rising phone bill if I’m calling or a much longer wait than planned.
In encountering the various obstacles that arise in engaging with resolving bill disputes or other issues the one thing that stops me from hulking-out is the knowledge that the individual that I’m talking to is not the reason for the problem. Now their attitude might cause a problem, but even that can be understood to an extent by that wonderful disclaimer – they are only human. More often than not the problem is procedural or system-based. An error occurred somewhere in the way something was processed and as a result the mess up took place.
The person is not the problem most of the time. Their approach is also understandable when you take into account another remarkable disclaimer that is of use – they are only doing their job. I cannot tell you of the frustrations I have had over certain affairs and wold like to vent to the person on the other side, but I realise they are only doing what they are paid to do. They usually don’t have the authority to do anything and by the time I reach the person who does have the power, I’ve already expended your energy in the pent-up frustration.
The realisation of this second disclaimer, however, says a lot about how set people can be in responding to situations. Even though they can make sympathetic noises, they cannot go much beyond their payscale. Sadly this attitude also seeps over into relationships where people confine themselves to what they perceive their limitations to be. Little to no effort is given to go beyond their comfort zone, because that is all they can manage even if it comes at your detriment.
I say this confessing to committing the same behaviour myself on many an occasion. Yet I look back on it and see that it doesn’t really compliment the character and lifestyle of one who claims to be following Christ.
The deal with the Good Samaritan parable is that our Samaritan brother had plenty of reasons to suggest that helping the beat up dude on the side from the opposition wasn’t in his job description. After all the religious dudes from his own sides were able to walk by quite contentedly and leave the man to die whilst possibly offering up sympathetic noises to anyone listening because they just weren’t in a position to help.
The Good Samaritan, I see is quite like Jesus. We are naturally opposed to God and old style religious rules and regulations weren’t really helping us out after we get beaten up with life’s issues. So Jesus – from the opposite side – joins us, becomes like us, lives in our situation and helps us by His life, death and resurrection. It wasn’t beyond Him to go out of His way to help us with that heart filled with love.
It is one of the most moving witnesses to me that Jesus is real to recall the number of times I have witnessed and been a recipient of that sacrificial love in action.
I get the impression that part of the growing into the image of our Saviour is having the stony hearts that are quick to say we are not able to help get softened by the compassion of Christ to actually want to make every effort. His Spirit in my life informs me what ‘my job’ is in following the way of the Master is relying completely on Him to enable me to love sacrificially to anyone in need of receiving it.
And surely those who work in those customer service positions are in need of receiving it.
God help me. God help us all.
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
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