Meanness!

 

Stephanie and I have been slowly moving here to Spiceland for the past six weeks. We are just so blessed to have this home. It has a softwater system. For most of our time here I did not know it wasn't working. There was a smell and a lot of IRON in the water. I really just thought I was doing something wrong with the softwater system. Come to find out, it was not working at all. Yesterday, John Frey from Frey Water Conditioning came and got our new system installed. He has been so kind and helpful to us. Even when he ran into MANY UNEXPECTED troubles with the installation, he remained positive. It set him WAY BEHIND on his daily schedule. I can also say the same thing about JAMIE who is the realtor managing the property. She is also very kind and has been so helpful. 

I think CUSTOMER service is a lost art, NOT with John and Jamie. They have bent over backwards to help us and I am so thankful. I know it may seem ODD to say, but the CHURCH is in the CUSTOMER SERVICE business. (I know I hate calling church a business!) How WE as FOLLOWERS OF JESUS treat others is SO important. It may have consequences beyond this life. 

We MUST TREAT PEOPLE WELL. 

I was doing some research for an upcoming sermon and I was hurt by the fact that one of the top reasons people don't come to church is the MEANNESS of CHRISTIANS, particularly on Social Media. 

WOW! That is so CONVICTING. As I was reading 1 Timothy 5 today, the theme was definitely about treating people with kindness:

"Never speak harshly to an older man, but appeal to him respectfully as you would to your own father. Talk to younger men as you would to your own brothers. Treat older women as you would your mother, and treat younger women with all purity as you would your own sisters." (1 Timothy 5:1-2, NLT)

Notice it does NOT say treat fellow believers this way. I guess that is understood, but I think most of the time our meanness is directed toward NON-BELIEVERS and the sins they commit. Although, I have also seen instances where meanness is directed toward FELLOW BELIEVERS. I often read those "mean posts" on social media and think about this verse;

"'Teacher, they said to Jesus, 'this woman was caught in the act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?' They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, 'All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!'" (John 8:4-7, NLT)

I don't know of too many actual stonings taking place in 2025, but we do the same thing with our words of hate and meanness. We just need to take a page out of John Frey's book of customer service. Treat people with respect and dignity, love them like Jesus loved this woman. 

It is as simple as that!