Christ-like Character Changes the Thoughts and Opinions of the World
Christ-like images of God’s nature and the love that He has for people can change any negative image, experience, or misconception the world may have of Christianity.
[pullquote]Interacting with people in a Christ-like manner makes all the difference in the world when it comes to forming and changing thoughts and opinions and showing others who Christ really is.[/pullquote]
Yesterday I had to conduct business at the IRS office. My IRS journey began at the end of a long line of people waiting to get upstairs to see the agents. The line snaked around the lobby of the building and ended outside on the sidewalk. I took my place in line at 11:45, just 15 minutes before the building shut down for lunch.
After spending the next hour and 15 minutes outside the building in a stagnant line, I finally begin to see a little movement. I was able to move about 15 feet. At least now I was inside the building enjoying the nice air-conditioning as opposed to being outside in the hot sun.
At 1:15, a gentleman named Mr. Her came downstairs and asked each person what the nature of their business was. He wrote down a few notes and he seemed to genuinely care about the long wait time. He told us he would do everything in his power to get as many people upstairs to see the agents as possible.
In the next 2 hours and 45 minutes the line moved approx. 20 feet. In the past, I’ve seen people who were subjected to such agony become hostile. Usually there is tension that permeates the air when people are placed under such trying circumstances. That wasn’t the case here. I noticed people in line striking up conversations with one another. They were smiling and making light of this taxing (pardon the pun) situation.
I mentioned to my wife that eventually, someone was going to have to break the news to some of the people toward the end of the line that they were not going to be seen by agents today. That’s when the fun would begin for sure. Sure enough, at about 3:30, Mr. Her came down and told approximately 20 people toward the end of the line that they would not be seen today. He apologized and told them that the office opens again at 7AM tomorrow. He said that they were welcome to try to see an agent during business hours then.
Without any gripes or complaints, the 20 people at the end of the line thanked Mr. Her, and promptly left the lobby of the building. At 4:00, my wife and I finally made it upstairs to the actual IRS office. When we arrived at the 3rd-floor office, we were ushered into a room where about 10-12 people who were in line downstairs in front of us were still waiting to be helped. Mr. Her told us that he would do everything in his power to see that we were helped by an agent by 4:30.
He said if we weren’t seen by an agent by 4:30, we would have to come back tomorrow. At about 4:20, “Donna” came out from behind a workstation and greeted us. She told us that unfortunately, there was no way she was going to be able to help us today. Our particular case needed time to sort out and there was no way to do it properly in 10 minutes. In the 10 minutes we spent with her, Donna gave us some insight into how we needed to proceed with our case.
She was friendly and kind. After having to deal with the pressure of helping an endless line of people all day long, for her to be able to laugh and joke and make us feel at ease at the end of her day was amazing. She was even considerate enough to give us a pass so that when we returned, we wouldn’t have to wait in line again downstairs.
In total, my wife and I spent 1 hour and 15 minutes waiting in line outside in the hot sun and another 3 hours waiting in line in the lobby of the Federal building. We made it upstairs at 4:00 only to find out that it was too late in the day to be seen by an agent. We paid $17.00 to park when we thought the parking fee would only be $7.00.
Christ-like Character Make a Difference
We went through all of the above, yet we were so glad we decided to go through this process. Why? Because of the 20 minutes we interacted with Mr. Her and Donna. I have no idea if these workers are Christians or not, but their Christ-like attitudes and demeanors turned a potentially horrible situation into a joyous one. They made us feel like individuals. They identified with what we had to endure just to get into their office. They gave us constructive information regarding our case in the limited amount of time we had to interact with them.
Interacting with people in a Christ-like manner makes all the difference in the world when it comes to forming and changing thoughts and opinions and showing others who Christ really is. Many people have negative opinions of the church. Sadly, many have been mishandled by people who call themselves representatives of Christ. Regardless of what has taken place in the lives of these individuals, your Christ-like demeanor can win them back to the church.
I encourage you today to show the love of God wherever you go. Allow yourself to genuinely care for those around you. Your Christ-like words, actions, and deeds will create an image of God in the hearts and minds of those who have been estranged from the church that will change their lives forever.
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