Today, for the second time since I began working as a cashier, I received word from Jesus. Not directly, but from a Christian person who felt it necessary to come in and shop, watch me ring up and bag over $100 worth of groceries for them, pay with their AmEx, and then recommend that I accept Jesus into my life. The first woman I encountered handed me a card with the address of her church on it, and said, "I'd like to invite you to my church," as she was on her way out. Today, the woman stuck out her hand, saying, "This is for you," and gave me a tiny little pamphlet that assumes I am a sinner and tells me how I can turn things around for myself. I would never have the boldness to do this.
How can either of these women presume to know me? I don't feel like I can give an honest response to someone in this situation, because I am at work, and required to show my most friendly and people-pleasing attitude to everyone, regardless of how they act. How can they assume, even, that I am not Christian? Honestly, given the tattoo-faced, dreadlocked, pot smoking, scandalous-clothes-wearing coworkers I am surrounded by, it irks me even more that someone would waste their efforts on me! Both times, I restrained myself from saying, "Thank you," which is usually my immediate response when someone gives me something, and merely smiled and watched them leave. Because I am not thankful. These are the same women who take me for granted as I bag up their pretentious groceries and smile at me pitifully, as if I am doomed to be in this service position for the rest of my life. They have no idea what kind of morals I live my life by. They don't make conversation with me, because it's not worth it, and they don't care if or where I went to college or what else I have done or will do in my life. Unless it is to receive Jesus, and if their handing me a card can save my life, than they are glad to do that much for me. I know it's nothing personal. But shouldn't it be?
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Smile! Jesus loves you.
Posted by Blogger at 10:25 PM
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3 comments:
hey awkward, you really really said this well. i mean, you nailed it. i've been in similar-ish situations, but not ones where i have to be polite like that. it sounds excruciating!
this is sort of a good story, sort of related: when i was a kid--say 6?--my parents took me to fenway park and outside, this weird gaunt street preacher (except he never talks; he's still around by the way) wearing a big clapboard picture of some fiery hell that asks "Are you going to heaven or HELL?" handed me a little folded piece of paper that, when i opened it, told me i was definitely going to hell forever. i ran crying to my mom, and she was so angry. who gives that kind of thing to a kid! but he seemed he barely knew what he was doing.
Thanks! Yeah, it is pretty excruciating. The nice thing, at least, is that all my coworkers appreciate the ridiculousness of it and can laugh about it with me after the people leave.
Your mom shoulda just socked him one. God, I would rather have social decency than personal salvation... or at least, decency should be important too.
As a Christian myself, I am so sorry that you were offended by those ladies handing you the Christian pamphlets that they handed you. But please know, people who hand out such pamphlets are NOT doing so to indicate that you are a sinner (any more so than anyone else in the world other than Jesus Himself), or are not a Christian. I think the fact that you were offended indicates rather clearly that you actually are not a Christian, as otherwise you would doubtless not have been offended by their actions. And THAT is the very reason why people hand out such pamphlets: to attract peoples' attention to Jesus and EVERYones' need of Him in their lives. Hopefully, most such pamphlets provide guidance as to how people can come to know Jesus PERSONALLY, and thereby attain His very specific help and guidance not only in this life, but also attain eternal life as well as a result of their relationship with Jesus -- the ONE AND ONLY way anyone will ever gain entrance to Heaven at the end of their earthly lives. Sadly, EVERYONE WILL LIVE FOREVER, but the only option other than Heaven is another location too horrific to even attempt to describe. BUT THAT ALTERNATIVE IS SO EASY TO AVOID! All anyone has to do is acknowledge Jesus as Lord and ASK Him to save them from their sins, and believe that He was the Son of God and was raised from the dead. (Jesus will even help anyone with a sincere heart who asks Him to help them come to those beliefs if they are struggling with any of those concepts. Sincerity is the key, and willingness to accept Jesus into one's life as Lord and Savior IF He in fact is Who He said He is. -- And, ps, HE IS!!) So, anyway, while you have a critical assessment of those two ladies who handed you Christian pamphlets, please know that they had no bad motives at all, and were not being judgmental of you -- they were actually just making some effort to assure that you will make it to Heaven one day (and that's not even to mention the GREAT benefit of having a personal relationship with Jesus while one is still here on earth!). While neither of the ladies may have been ‘paragons’ of love or righteousness, or otherwise evinced any actual care for you, I nonetheless feel that their hearts were rather doubtless nonetheless in the right place, and they were NOT being ‘judgmental.’ AND as I always say whenever the occasion calls for it: NEVER judge Jesus by Christians! ALL people are fallible, and almost all, even Christians, fall very short of having -- or evincing -- Jesus' kind of love. So while none of us are perfect, at least these ladies were making SOME effort to ‘reach you’ for the Kingdom of God. And since Christians quickly learn that they will quite possibly receive harsh reactions to their engaging in such efforts, their doing so actually did evince their care for you -- at least to some degree. AND my final thought to add here is that, for all you know, Jesus Himself and/or His Holy Spirit may very well have been those ladies' inspirations for having handed you those Christian tracts in the first place. Jesus DOES 'place it on His peoples' hearts' to do such things, and so if that was the case, and it QUITE possibly was, the entire matter about which you are complaining was just the result of Jesus' deep desire to have a personal relationship with you, and these ladies' awkward obedience to His ‘directives’ to them.
God bless you greatly!
And finally, please also know that God does not care or judge according to whether a person has tattoos, dresses inappropriately, etc.. If anyone is still alive, God still loves them regardless of any such factors, or prior sins. And He is STILL very much hoping for a personal relationship with them via ‘the avenue of’ His Son Jesus Christ – He Who suffered and died to pay the penalty/receive the punishment necessary to attain forgiveness of their sins.
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