Not Gonna Take It
Irritated by junk mail?
Sick of tearing out those subscription cards getting in your way of a smooth read in your favorite magazine? Irritated by junk mail? Get a little frustrated trying to figure out the different sizes of coffee at Starbucks and whether a grande is really as big as it sounds, or the sizes of pizza at Domino’s and why their smallest size is a medium?
Some consumers are fighting back. They will find the business reply envelopes in their junk mail and fill them with meaningless but very, very heavy freight (steel strips, for example); this costs the advertiser much more than anticipated for the return postage and has been known to limit the amount of junk mail. Others belligerently order a “medium” coffee at Starbucks or a “small” pizza at Domino’s.
They say it feels good to buck a system that insists on making its own rules. A medium is the size between small and large, they say. Period. Change the rules and you have to deal with me. I didn’t ask to be bombarded with advertisements for a sun room, three new credit cards, and a half price haircut. Those are also the rules. Play by them or you’ll pay the price.
Conglomerates certainly need to understand the level to which they press our hot buttons, and perhaps when they don’t understand it they need to become more realistically aware of how perturbed we have become. While I’m willing to admit that consumer dissatisfaction can play a role in having a voice (or at least allowing a person to let off steam) in the world of customer driven service, I get a bit uncomfortable transferring that type of behavior to personal Christian living. I’m talking about venting frustration against another’s irritable behavior by forcing my rules on them (or at least letting them know they can’t be so annoying in my presence).
Correcting sin is not the topic here. Reacting to something that just bugs you is what I’m talking about. The way your wife drives too jerky for your luxurious comfort. The times your roommate leaves food particles in the sink without rinsing it out. The wheezing sound your friend makes when he’s watching TV. Other ethnic groups who just don’t get it. The amount of time it takes some people to respond to e-mail. Ugh! If other people would just cooperate more fully with my rules, life could be so nice!
Well then, the truth comes out. It’s all about me after all.
Would you be willing to reconsider your tolerance level for the way other people do things that is not your first choice? No, not everyone will do it your way all the time. God’s smart enough to understand that, which is why he says, “Bear with each other” (Colossians 3:13). It’ll take some patience on your part to put up with whatever grinds you. It’ll also give you an opportunity to do “what is helpful for building others up according to their needs” (Ephesians 4:29).
I really wonder how irritated Jesus had to be with his disciples sometimes. Did he ever roll his eyes and turn up to heaven with a sigh toward his Father? Not the Jesus I know. He always seemed to find a way to help them, build them up, say something they needed to hear, do something for them that they would treasure. For Jesus, it’s all about others. So don’t be afraid. He doesn’t lose patience with you.
Jesus knows what it’s like to put up with people. He still does it every day. Think of him the next time someone irritates you. Or the next time you irritate others, if that’s possible.
PRAYER: In what I can control I find my greatest comfort and security, Lord Jesus. If I can control it, then it can’t hurt me. That too often includes other people and doesn’t often enough include me. Make me less sensitive to little things that irritate me, or if it is your will, when you allow me to be irritated then also give me the patience and strength to find a way to be helpful to others, considerate to their needs, and kind as you are kind to me. Amen.