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The Pastoral Lens
Deck the Halls with Lots of Courtesy
Tuesday, December 10, 2002
I have never worked in retail. I am truly grateful every December, as shoppers cram busy stores and wrangle for bargains, that my vocational calling did not take me into the fickle realm of the retail sector. Without a doubt, December has to be one of the most trying times for those who are sales clerks. I was speaking with my mom the other day, who lives in Windsor. She told me how she had been to a mall by 7:15am that morning to do Christmas shopping. I was incredulous! "Were there any other people there at that hour?" I naively asked. "Well, let's put it this way, Brian. The store I went to was offering free wrapping paper to the first 500 shoppers and I wasn't one of them. After all, I got there 15 minutes after they opened."The first thought I had after hearing my mom tell me this story was to wonder how thrilled and eager clerks were feeling to know they were so blessed to be scheduled for work that day. My guess is that they would have needed more than the proverbial bowl of Wheaties to make it through the grist mill of rude and impatient shoppers. I'm sure glad I wasn't the poor soul responsible for handing out the free wrapping paper when #501 came through the doors. Somehow, Murphy's Law tells me the guy was a relative of Goliath without the patience of Job!
Oh, we've all been there. We've experienced the long lines at the check-out, the empty shelves where other more agressive types beat us to the limited stock, and the beleaguered store clerks who are just dangling participles to the whole run-on shopping tyranny of Western culture. Unfortunately, it is those poor, defenseless clerks who are the target of our holiday frustration, more often than not. When I was a waiter in a fine-dining restaurant in the mid-80's, I often got blamed for a steak that was overdone or for a menu item that was sold out. People are frustrated and angry and need to vent somewhere, so they go to the first line of contact. This is ditto for telephone solicitors, consultants, and employees of politicians.
Why don't we try something different this year? How about going out of our way to show courtesy and kindness in order to buffer the already predictable barrage of complaining. Jesus (Remember Him? He's the "reason for the season" in case you forgot) taught what we have learned to be the "golden rule." In Matthew 7:12 He says, "Therefore, however you want people to treat you, so treat them!" This is really a very simple command. Think of how you want people to treat you. You want them to be nice, to speak with kind words, and not vent their anger on you. Now, go and do likewise. There is a verse in Galatians 6:7 which says this: "A man's harvest in life depends entirely on what he sows." (J.B. Phillips translation).
As you venture out into the hostile world of the shopping mall this Christmas season, remember to ask yourself: How do I want the halls of my life decked this year? Go get 'em, tiger (but be nice about it)!
