Walking into the store to buy a new jacket for his daughter, Jim sees a clerk walking by (her nametag says her name is Karen) and asks her where he can find the youth section. Karen is very abrupt, halfheartedly points, and quickly walks away. Jim is already in a rush to get the jacket and get home, and now he’s also upset. Jim sees the store manager nearby, and makes sure that he knows his clerk gave him a terrible first impression of his store, and that he needs to get some workers that aren’t so rude if he wants people to shop there!
What Jim doesn’t know: Just before Jim walked in, Karen got a message that there was an emergency with her mother – she was very ill and being moved into hospice. She was distracted and on her way to request time off from her manager.
The store manager (Phil) goes to find Karen. Before she has a chance to say a word, he makes sure she understands that he will not put up with his employees treating customers poorly. He further tells her that if she doesn’t want to work there, he can find someone else to do it, and he angrily walks away. Karen bursts into tears as she runs out of the store, and silently thinks – “what a jerk”!
What Karen doesn’t know: Phil got told just minutes before by his District Manager that his store was underperforming, and he would be let go if things didn't change. Phil has a wife and four kids at home that are relying on his paycheck. Hearing the complaining customer put him in fear of his job, which led to him being so harsh with Karen.
The moral of this story is that we do not know what the people we encounter are going through. As a believer in Christ, we are called to forgive whether we understand the details or not. We cannot get inside someone else’s head to fully understand their perspective.
But here is what we know: God’s grace can overcome all, and for all the things we have been forgiven of, we are asked to forgive and not judge others – even when we feel we are being treated unfairly.
Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. (Romans 14:4a)
#LoveMatters