Monday, 6/2/14
I usually stop at a nearby fast food restaurant’s drive-thru every Sunday morning before we leave for church; they usually complete my order in less than five minutes. Yesterday, they took about fifteen minutes and the first thought that came into my mind was that one or two of their employees “called in” and didn’t show up for work. Since I had more time than usual to think about things, several thoughts came into my mind as I waited. The first one was about the days when I was employed by the postal service. When I transferred from the main post office to a much smaller substation, I came to realize how much more crucial it was for all employees to show up for work and to be punctual. I remember the strain it would put on us when two or three fellow workers failed to show up for work. When that happened, other things came into play. Here are some of them: Those who had to handle the extra load were upset; so were our customers. Our job performance suffered; so did our reputation.
I assumed my fast food restaurant would be similarly affected. I wondered how many of the customers waiting behind me would get upset enough to forget about their order and just drive away. Two of them did. How many of these customers will consider never buying there again? How many of them will spread the word and tell others and how many customers will be lost because of it? Some may add this thought: What kind of dedication can you expect from minimum-wage employees in the first place since the majority of them are kids? Well, I’ve been around long enough to know that every workplace has dedicated as well as apathetic employees, regardless of the salary. More importantly, I was reminded of the importance of our obligations to those whose lives we touch every day. After murdering his brother, God asked Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” Cain deceitfully replied, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” If God asks us if we are our brother’s keeper, the answer should be “yes!”
How seriously do we take what we do? Last week, I saw a PA who attended to my sprained knee. In conversation, he told me of his days as a medic in the military and of his love and total dedication for what he did then as well as now. He also assured me he was going to call my pharmacy for the pain medicine he prescribed. When I tried to pick it up the following day, the pharmacy didn’t know anything about it. Talking about it is not the same as doing it. As God’s children, may our actions do most of our talking.
Memory verse for the week: (Galatians 6:2) Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
