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Romans 12:2
Encouragement to fulfill God's purpose through Practical Life Application and Navigation

‘IT’ Happens!

‘IT’ Happens!

 

Oh boy does IT ever! Over and over again.

 

So what is ‘IT’?

 

Well, it could be:

  • The credit union teller who forgot to give you back your ID in the drive through lane but you don’t realize it until you are miles away
  • The ex-husband that does something completely unconscionable AGAIN!
  • The checker who rings up your purchase incorrectly and you realize it after you are already in parking lot with frozen food items!
  • The customer service representative who leaves you on hold for an eternity

 

‘IT’ Happens. And ‘IT’ Happens A LOT!

 

What you do about it, though, makes ALL the difference in the world! Whether you are the ‘offender’ or the ‘offendee’, your response is crucial.

 

Let’s take another look at the scenarios above:

1. On a rare blustery, rainy day in Glendale, AZ, when time was short and I had a load of work to do at the office, the credit union teller kept my ID but I didn’t realize it. Twenty minutes later when I called the credit union, they knew exactly who I was. The receptionist flatly declared, “Oh, so you’re the one who left your ID here?” HUH? Instantly steam started puffing from my ears. Not only didn’t they bother to call me and save me 10 minutes of tearing my car apart, BUT I wasn’t the one who LEFT my ID there!

BAD RESPONSE!

IT Happens! Mistakes WILL happen but the teller’s response did nothing to rectify the situation. She could have called me, informed me she had my ID and apologized. I would have understood.

 

2. When my ex-husband did the unconscionable AGAIN, I lost it. I don’t mean I lost it in a ‘Christian sort of way’, I mean I called him, screaming words I would NEVER repeat here, and made ridiculous threats. For some reason the phrase, “I will hunt you down like the dog you are,” comes to mind. It took over an hour for my blood pressure to level off.

BAD RESPONSE!

IT Happens! There are going to be people who treat you badly, but it’s not an excuse to return the favor. My poor response did NOTHING to change the situation, it only damaged my witness and compromised my character. I should have remained calm and handled the situation with maturity and grace.

 

3. After returning to the store and bringing the error to the cashier’s attention, she not only refunded the difference for the overcharge, but gave me a store gift card to use at a later time for my inconvenience.

GREAT RESPONSE!

IT Happens! Errors are part of life but I walked away feeling
valued as a customer and admiring the store for caring about customer satisfaction and service.

 

4. Ages later when the rep got back on the line, she apologized for the delayed hold. She explained that their company just rolled out a brand new program and she wanted to double check the specifics to see if it might benefit my situation.

GREAT RESPONSE!

IT Happens! Inconveniences are part of the game and even though I didn’t receive additional savings, her effort was sincere and I appreciated that she went above and beyond, in fact, I made sure to tell her supervisor so.

 

The point?

 

‘IT’ WILL HAPPEN, but how ‘IT’ IS HANDLED makes ALL the difference.

  • If you’ve made a mistake, apologize.
  • If you’ve created a mess of something, try to rectify the problem.
  • If you’ve been wronged, handle the situation with grace and maturity.

 

Consider every moment a job interview for Christ. We ALL make mistakes. It’s what we do with them that counts!

 

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