Acting as a Christian at Mass is pretty easy. Acting as a Christian at home when the kids are in bed is pretty easy also. In the quiet time when you can read the Bible or the lives and writings of the Saints, it's pretty easy to have high ideals of how you should be as a Christian. Applying it to everyday life is another story. This is when being Christian is not something that comes naturally.
I had a customer service incident where I completed a commission for a client. I have a little hobby business where I use my creative talents and make a little extra money at home. I take pride in my work and do my best to please the client. Unfortunately, a little shipping mishap left it's mark on an item I completed and sent off. I used the packaging that the item came in which wasn't the most protective. I tried my best to pack it carefully with what the customer left me but it wasn't enough and somehow my handiwork got scuffed up a little. It was something that would be totally fixable but the client was very unhappy and just wanted her money back. She just wasn't in a very good mood that day and the little mishap became a mountain of a problem for her. As I was writing to her to tell her I was deeply sorry and would offer her a refund she was already writing another note to me to let me know I screwed something else up. She basically said I sent her back a junk item which had more value before I screwed it up. At this point she was exaggerating and being very unreasonable.
I digested this nasty gram and stewed in it. Normally my inclination would be to fight back and let her have it. I was very insulted by what she said and I thought how dare she speak to me in such a way. But I stopped myself from firing back. I turned it over to Jesus. I asked for His help in handling this. I offered it up to Him as a sacrifice for all the times I was unreasonable and difficult. I gave her a refund and then I calmly wrote back to her asking how else I could fix this problem. I decided I would go out of my way to be humble and accommodating. I decided I would try to disarm her by being gentle instead of fighting back. I sort of went on automatic pilot. It was as if it wasn't really me handling the situation but instead He was handling it.
She quickly wrote back stating she was sorry and overreacted. She was already so disappointed about the one little part that got messed up that she didn't think before she wrote. I was glad for her apology but I was still irritated. But I told her I understood and pleaded with her to let me fix the problem and I would handle all shipping expenses. I left it at that and waited to hear from her. I went to bed that night still angry with how she treated me. The devil started to plant ideas in my head of how I should go back and tell her what I really think. I just kept asking Jesus to give me the strength and grace of forgiveness. Then verses of scripture went through my head. The Gospel of Matthew played out.
"But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also; and if anyone would sue you and take your coat, let him have your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles." Mt 5:39-41
This calmed me down a bit. I would put aside my pride and decided to be a witness. I would use this incident as an opportunity to practice forgiveness and I would let Jesus handle judgement. The next morning I went the extra mile and offered to buy the item from her since her original plan was to sell it anyway.
She finally wrote back and again apologized for her behavior. She was ashamed with how she handled things and there really wasn't anything else wrong with the item other than the what she originally wrote about. She went on to say how highly she respected me and that I handled her and the situation amazingly well and she exclaimed
"Well done to you!"
I took that as a confirmation from the Holy Spirit. I was so glad that I turned it over to God. I thought to myself that there is hope for me and my woeful ways as a sinner. As long as I don't act on my own and put my trust in God and let Him be my guide, there is hope for me that I will finally learn how to be a Christian at every breathing moment. I'm sure the client learned something also. I know it made me reflect on times when I was in her place and I wished I handled things better. I knew that return fire would only have given me more indignation and reason to justify my irrational behavior and I wouldn't have a chance to repent to the person who was the ire of my rage. The Holy Spirit working in me gave her that chance to repent and she did.
The rest of the day I thanked God for the experience. I just hope He doesn't think I need more practice in humility.
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