The boss called a team meeting to announce new policies for dealing with customers at the store.
New Policies:
If a customer is irate and hits you on one side of the face, say to them, “My pleasure” and be sure they hit the other side too.
When customers try to steal winter coats, give them shirts to wear too.
If a customer needs help getting items loaded in their car, offer free delivery and home installation.
If somebody wants an item but can’t afford it, give it to them for free.
Always loan out tools or money, even if you know they will never be returned.
Love our competitors’ stores.
When customers leave bad reviews, don’t reply online, just talk to God about them.
The store employees couldn’t believe this list was serious. After the boss insisted that these policies came from headquarters and would be in place moving forward, the employees began to complain: “These will lead to terrible working conditions.” “I wouldn’t have taken this job if I’d known.” “These policies will make our jobs unsafe and the store unsustainable.”
Jesus tells his followers to live like that in Matthew 5:39-44.
Policies that make for a bad environment in the workplace, where the company and employees are in control, actually help believers take some control in situations where the world is out to get them. Going above and beyond with others preserves or adds dignity where dignity is challenged or questioned.
Author, filmmaker, and preacher Bill Muir told the story of a Southern California Seminary President who was meeting colleagues for lunch at a Denny’s type restaurant on a hot summer day. Upon arriving at the restaurant, he removed his suit coat and tie, left them in the car, and rolled up his sleeves as he walked through the parking lot. When he entered he saw the group he was meeting already seated and he headed towards them. An older woman reached out as he passed her table and asked him to fill up her coffee. She assumed he was a busboy at the restaurant. Without skipping a beat. He found the drink station nearby, picked up a pot of coffee, quickly filled her cup, and asked if there was anything else he could do for the folks at the table. One of his colleagues noticed him getting the coffee and asked, “Why did you do that? Why didn’t you explain who you were?” His answer was, “You know how much of a servant you are based on how you respond when treated like one.”
Our dignity and position are solidified in Christ and the ways we express his life, love, and sacrifice to others. Believers serve God by giving more than expected or asked. God is our boss, not the bullies, jerks, or rude people we get to care for and win over by going the extra mile.
Pastor John Riley