Love your cell phone customer service agent?!?!- a follow up, pt2

“You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that." - Jesus Mt 5:43-47

In my last blog-"Love Your Cell Phone Customer Service Agent ????"  I shared my challenge of Christ's command to love my enemies (Mt 5:43-47, Lk 6:35)  regarding a very minor cell phone refund.  To refer to a customer service agent as my enemies probably sounds harsh, unfortunately that was my attitude as I entered the process.  I did not do well.  I was demanding, short tempered.... well, let's compare it to the best definition of love:

Love is patient....   Nope.. I was not.

   love is kind... I don't think my words came out that way

... it does not envy, it does not boast- these... I did ok on those two. 

          ...it is not proud.... ooohhh... Fail!  I was pretty focused on what "I deserved."

...it is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 

                 Fail.                   Fail.                               Fail.                                           Fail.

   

Perhaps your thinking, it was just a phone call!  What's the big deal?

In Luke 12:35, Jesus tells a parable about men waiting to return from a wedding banquet.  To the servant who diligently perseveres doing what was instructed by the master- he will be rewarded.  He will be rewarded and honored.  But to the one who, mistreats the Masters' other servant- satisfying his own desires will be punished.  "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked."

I knew what was expected.  I am to love. I am to love not only my friends, but my enemies as well.  The difficult people.  I am to love them. Customer service agents who don't give me the answer I want; slow drivers in front of me; crabby people;  demanding people; or as I read someplace EGRs (Extra Grace Required people). 

  

As I write that list- I am on it.  I am the EGR for other people.And  I am so thankful- God is also the God of Grace.  God has given me TWO MORE opportunites to improve my response to love my cell phone customer service agent.   Each call lasted about a half hour.  I did better at being kind and patient on the last one. Not stellar.  But better.
We had rehashed the issue.  I tried to give a direct and accurate summary.  Still, I fought impatience.  I had to choose to be patient.  Although many heavy sighs escaped when he would ask me to hold for a couple of moments, I tried for my words to come out more pleasant.

As I sat waiting  (an opportunity to improve my paitence) I began to ponder. Where was this person?  I am quite sure he was sitting on a different continent. Perhaps, like us, quite fortunate to be working- but he has a vocation where the callers he gets are already crabby.  Actually, I was quite impressed- he was functioning and speaking a language that was not his native tongue.  And he had to document everything, because it's the nature of his business.

So, why was I so upset?
         Really?
                    The amount was a pittance.

As I write this, the issue with my bill is still not resolved. But I hope this lesson is.  I hope, as  you & I go out today and encounter the difficult people in our lives, we will  be like the servant who diligently perseveres doing what was instructed by the master. We have been instructed by our master to love.  Let us not grow faint in loving and doing good.  May you and I treat each person, friend or foe- as God has treated us- with passionate love and grace.