Having 2 fully functional legs is a privilege. I didn't realize this until I suffered a boil on my knee. The pain became very evident as I walked, as I sat down, and as I stood up. I figure that those were activities we couldn't do without on a daily basis. Yeah. Ouch.
Thank God. He healed people of all sorts of sicknesses since the beginning of time, and He just proved that He is the same yesterday and today (Hebrews 13:8) by healing my knee. I was in the pool with my brother and my niece close to an hour ago, relearning the swimming lessons I had when I was less than 10 years old. I tell you, swimming never felt better.
Anyway. What bothered me was the night guard who I felt was being stupid as we walked in. He asked us all sort of questions, like where we were from, who we were staying with, who owns the place, what's his phone number, and all sorts of stuff we eventually wrote down in his logbook. This same guy stopped me while I was taking pictures around the neighborhood a week or two ago. The picture to the right was what got me in trouble. We went through the same song and dance about where I was from and all that stuff. I found him annoying in general.
As I was rediscovering how to swim (and having fun while doing it), Kip went ahead and voiced out his observation of the night guard, who at the time was just sitting down close to the compound gate.
"Man, that must be a tough job."
I went ahead and voiced out my complaints against that guy, and as I was talking about it, I realized that he had to be that intimidating, because it was his job. Get him to switch jobs with an Olive Garden waiter (speaking out of personal observation here. That guy was nice enough to give my mom salad AND soup while we had to choose.), and watch both establishments go to ruin. As most people, call center agents included, are encouraged to be nice to their customers, I believe that people like that night guard are like that for our own good.
I haven't always thought like that. Security guards back home were up there with texting taxi drivers (more on that some other time) in my top five people that I haven't been blessed to be patient with.
In the bible we see that Matthew was a tax collector. I seriously doubt that they teach empathy and paraphrasing in tax collector school. Guys like him probably had a whole lot of enemies.
Let me let the Word elaborate on this more.
"As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.
While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?"
On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
- Matthew 9:9-13
As I was typing that, I just realized. We all talk about work not being work if we have fun working. We talk about making our passion our work. Maybe these guys have passion guarding. Perhaps sometimes they get overzealous. We don't seem to mind if Michael Phelps shouts his veins out on national television. Yes, I'm a fan. I think, what makes this night guard any different?
I don't know if the point I'm trying to deliver here is being made clear. But God bless him.
And if any of you were evil customers to anyone else, I challenge you to ask God to bless them too.
Consider starting or strengthening your relationship with Christ. Take some time to talk to Him. Admit that you have sinned, and let Him come in to your heart. I'm not saying life as you see it will be better, but I assure you, the peace to be felt is nothing short of PERFECT. You have nothing to lose by just asking. God bless you with wisdom.
Have a good day.