On Labor Day, Deanna and I went to hang out with my family for a little while in Spartanburg. As a part of that trip we went over to Prime Outlets in Gaffney, SC. Well on the way back, Deanna wanted to stop in Kirkland’s in Greenville. Needless to say, Deanna loves this store. They always have great merchandise and great prices, which makes me love this store.
We got to the store at 5:30 PM, Deanna was walking around the store looking for a mirror and some lamps. Being the GREAT husband, I found a chair close to the door and just sat down for a break. While sitting there, a store associate asked me in a snooty tone, “Sir, do you need some sort of help?” I replied, “No ma’am, I am just waiting on my wife. Thank you though.” After talking to me, she went directly to my wife and preceded to tell her (again, in a snooty tone), “Ma’am we are closing at 6PM, so be aware of that so we can close on time.” Seriously…this happened!
I was blown away. First of all, there was NO sign stating that they were closing early. I could not believe that the lady was treating her customers the way she did. I will say that they lost a sale. Deanna wanted to buy a mirror that she saw, but needed a little more time to decide, but the lady pushed her out of the store. I understand it was Labor Day and she was probably ill that she had to work, but that is no reason to treat your customers in a rude way.
This incident made me think…How many times has the church as a whole done this? How many times has it been “inconvenient” to serve (minister) the customer, especially when you are ready to go home? How many times have we made the customer feel unimportant and unwanted by the way that we speak to them or treat them?
I know that I learned a lesson from this lady at Kirkland’s…don’t allow your personal unrest to dictate how you treat those around you. Don’t allow your desire to go home, your tiredness, your anger, your…whatever, to make the customer (person needing your help) feel like you do not genuinely care about their problem or need.
If you are in the ministry, then we all must remember that we are in the people business. We are in the business of showing the love, grace, and mercy of Jesus Christ and this is done in how we treat, talk, and interact with those people. Be aware of how you communicate, both verbally and non-verbally, with those that are put under your care and those that you are charged with ministering too. Also, don’t forget that it is a blessing to minister to them. It is a gift from God that those people were drawn to your ministry, so treat them that way. That is why God led them to you, so they would feel like they are loved and care for.
It is worth it!
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