The Dialogue is the newsletter of First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in St. Joseph, MO. Often, I'll post here on the blog my columns for the weekly newsletter. I mention it just so that folks who read the snail-mail version can skip this post if they've already read it.This morning I witnessed a dispute at the post office. A frustrated man was not getting the answers he sought at the counter, but in the clerk’s defense, it was far from clear what exactly he wanted, much less what he expected the post office to do about it. As he stormed away from the counter, he yelled an obscenity at the clerk. When the door shut behind him, I made awkward eye contact with the clerk, since I was next in line.
I assured her that I wasn’t going to call her any names, and I was gratified to see a small smile come out on her face. She explained to a coworker what had happened while she helped me, and I chimed in that from my perspective, she seemed more than patient with the man. As I turned to leave, I complimented her on handling a difficult situation in a calm and pleasant way. My prayer as I left was that my words helped to encourage her a bit and that one upset customer would not ruin her day.
I also offered a quick prayer for the man who had been upset. He didn’t appear to be deranged, but rather he seemed upset, as if he was already at the boiling point before he made it to the post office. I wondered what experiences he had this morning that got him to the point of boiling over. I wondered if he had known any kindness at all in recent days.
My mother-in-law has a quotation at the bottom of her e-mails that I try to remember. It reads, “Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.” This quotation is a reminder to herself and a confession of her own daily stress that comes from caring for her disabled father. You never know what battles a person is fighting or what kind of pressure he or she is under. It may or may not be visible when you encounter them at the post office, a restaurant or even at church. I don’t know what, if any, battles the clerk at the post office is fighting anymore than I know why the customer before me was so disgruntled, but I figure both could do with a little kindness.
In this Easter season, we read the stories of Christ’s appearances after his resurrection. He pops up everywhere—behind locked doors, on the beach, on the road, etc. You never know where the resurrected Christ is going to appear next. When Paul reflected upon the power of Christ’s resurrection, he wrote that we who claim the name of Christ become Christ’s presence for one another and for those we meet as we go about our daily lives. When we meet a stranger along the way, there may very well be the opportunity for us to smile, offer encouraging words and to exhibit the grace of kindness to them. God may use us to offer a bit of healing to someone fighting a battle which leaves them depleted, angry and hurt.
The power of the resurrection means that if we are open to God’s healing work then anywhere and at any time Christ may appear to others through the small kindnesses we offer to them.
Grace and Peace,
I assured her that I wasn’t going to call her any names, and I was gratified to see a small smile come out on her face. She explained to a coworker what had happened while she helped me, and I chimed in that from my perspective, she seemed more than patient with the man. As I turned to leave, I complimented her on handling a difficult situation in a calm and pleasant way. My prayer as I left was that my words helped to encourage her a bit and that one upset customer would not ruin her day.
I also offered a quick prayer for the man who had been upset. He didn’t appear to be deranged, but rather he seemed upset, as if he was already at the boiling point before he made it to the post office. I wondered what experiences he had this morning that got him to the point of boiling over. I wondered if he had known any kindness at all in recent days.
My mother-in-law has a quotation at the bottom of her e-mails that I try to remember. It reads, “Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.” This quotation is a reminder to herself and a confession of her own daily stress that comes from caring for her disabled father. You never know what battles a person is fighting or what kind of pressure he or she is under. It may or may not be visible when you encounter them at the post office, a restaurant or even at church. I don’t know what, if any, battles the clerk at the post office is fighting anymore than I know why the customer before me was so disgruntled, but I figure both could do with a little kindness.
In this Easter season, we read the stories of Christ’s appearances after his resurrection. He pops up everywhere—behind locked doors, on the beach, on the road, etc. You never know where the resurrected Christ is going to appear next. When Paul reflected upon the power of Christ’s resurrection, he wrote that we who claim the name of Christ become Christ’s presence for one another and for those we meet as we go about our daily lives. When we meet a stranger along the way, there may very well be the opportunity for us to smile, offer encouraging words and to exhibit the grace of kindness to them. God may use us to offer a bit of healing to someone fighting a battle which leaves them depleted, angry and hurt.
The power of the resurrection means that if we are open to God’s healing work then anywhere and at any time Christ may appear to others through the small kindnesses we offer to them.
Grace and Peace,
Chase
1 comment:
Absolutely agree; the whole issue of our "original sin" was brought into particular focus last week with the remembrance of MLK's assassination.
Another good listen: An hour with James Cone interviewed by Bill Moyers last fall. Here's the URL:
http://www-tc.pbs.org/moyers/rss/media/BMJ-1133.mp3
Chuck Mullican
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