Customer Service Blessing

In the post below I share frustrations regarding the abusive and evasive tactics that companies use regarding customer service issues.

In one of my very frustrating attempts at conversation with a customer service representative from another country, after it had become absolutely clear that the representative would be able to be of no help whatsoever to me, upon bringing the conversation to a close, the representative said, “Have a blessed day.”

This impressed me very powerfully. This is what I commonly say to people. When I say it, I mean it. Thus I expect that this person also meant it.

I do not know what this man believes. Neither do I know whom he confesses as his God. Was he calling upon the same God that I confess? I hope so.

Nevertheless, this served as a very powerful reminder to me that the people on the other end of the telephone conversation are real people. They are not just foreigners whom the companies are exploiting. They are not merely people seeking to earn money through a service provider that cares nothing about me.

As I said, it served as a powerful reminder. It is not as though I did not know this. It is not as though I did not care about the other people. Yet in times of frustration, I do become selfish and I forget about the other person. Not always, but sometimes I do.

It was good to hear this word of blessing from the other person. I do not often hear this even among people I see face to face. It was good to be reminded that at least some of the people from far away are like minded and perhaps even my brethren who are unknown to me.

This last thought is especially encouraging. Especially as the churches have become so polluted and dysfunctional, as the Gospel has been mingled with so many worldly thoughts and beliefs, the thought that maybe I have a brother in a far away place whom I have not met, this is an encouraging thought.

It also serves to remind me that James’ warning about bridling one’s tongue should never be ignored. (James 3) This is especially a matter of concern realizing that what one says cannot be taken back. Surely, the greatest concern should be that my tongue never place an obstacle before another person who could have heard the blessed Gospel from me. What does my cell phone service matter contrasted to this matter of everlasting importance?

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