Thought for the Week:  Approach life with a willing heart

The reason was the level of abuse she and colleagues endure on almost a daily basis.

"‘We get blamed for everything", she said. ‘Price of goods/particular items not available/ length of the queue/problems with contactless payment, anything and everything".

She is not the only person in recent weeks to tell me that they are utterly cheesed off with the attitude of some customers. Yet, their livelihood depends on all of them. It seems we have normalised aggressive complaining and having unreasonable expectations of others.

The Bible does not directly address how to complain in a supermarket – yet its guidance is unambiguously clear. Jsus said to His disciples: "Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven". The Apostle Paul was equally clear: "Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world".

We are all fallen people in a fallen world. Therefore, by definition, things will go wrong. There will be no perfection in anything this side of heaven. But God’s people, followers of Jesus, are those who, more than anyone else, should know the magnificence of grace, since we have been on the receiving end of much of it from the Lord Himself.

It is self-evident that steps should be taken to deal with problems when they arise. If the necessary action is not taken, then there is every reason to seek to have the right thing done. It is crucially important, if we are Christian people, to approach the problem and/or the people involved with grace and graciousness, even if it needs to be a sturdy conversation. That will require us to listen carefully, and understand the reasons why it happened in the first place.

Aggravation, abuse, bad temper and bad language have no place in the lives of any of us who call ourselves followers of Jesus. We are to be channels of light and grace in an often troubled world – and when complaint is necessary or desirable, we would do well to ask ourselves. - how would Jesus handle this situation? The answer might lead to encouragement for my friend to do a little overtime with a willing heart.