Today was one of those days. Having a career in insurance guarantees that, out of all your working days during the year, a handful of them are going to be difficult. Any agent will tell you, especially now, that insurance is one of those things folks are no longer considering to be protection or peace of mind, but rather a “necessary evil.” Rates are going up, carriers are nonrenewing, and the State of
Some clients have quite the
penchant for getting under my skin…they complain, yell, swear, belittle and
berate for what seems like an endless five minutes, hardly allowing you to get
an word in edgewise (even though, last time I checked, I’m the one with the
license – not them). Difficult might not
even be strong enough an adjective for some of these folks…
So, what I’ve challenged myself
to do for quite some time now is to suck it up, show the love, and pray for my
clients.
Why? Well, first of all, because God commanded us
to. But secondly, it’s because I’ve
realized that I’m not sure what they have going on at the other end of that
phone line,. They could be suffering
from a terminal illness, going through a difficult divorce, losing their home, or
getting ready to face the “empty nest” as their last child prepares to head off
for college. They could also be really upset with their Sweet Sixteen
bracket. Regardless, they sound like
they could use someone on their side today, and I need to give them a little
grace.
Since I’ve started praying for
clients, I have found that more often than not, things will fall into
place. Oh sure, there’s always those few
who will never be satisfied and will always be difficult, and I’ve learned to
accept that and laugh it off (when I can).
But for the most part, extending the olive branch, or silently giving
them the grace they may need, has made the day so much better, both for me and
them.
If I think about my day, a full
24 hours, I could say I run into a lot of jerks. And while many are strangers (like bad
drivers on Del Prado trying to squeeze into the Dunkin’ Donuts parking lot)
some of my “jerks” are folks I’m close with.
Co-workers, associates, clients, friends, even family. But now, instead of wasting energy to
criticize and condemn, I’m trying to redirect that, and focus on prayer
instead, because the same “client theory” holds true – we don’t always know
what our loved ones are going through.
So just because a co-worker snapped
at you this morning, or a close friend hasn’t returned your last four calls, or
your aunt let it slip that she liked your hair better before you cut it, doesn’t
mean they are undeserving of love, grace and compassion. And if you can’t find the words to express
that to them directly, let God know.
Taking just a few minutes to talk
with God and ask Him to help someone out with their struggles, to take whatever
is burdening them and lighten the load, or just to fill their heart and mind
with the hope and joy that can be found in Him, can be just the thing someone
needs. And…you can accomplish this
without even having to hear about forgetting to change the coffee filter, taking
out the trash, or calling your sister on her birthday!
Truth is, you could be Jesus in
the flesh for someone today, whether you realize it or not. And we could all use a little prayer. J
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