As I sat listening to phone messages on my office answering machine, there was one message I found puzzling. The caller stated a first and last name followed by, “I want my money back.” That was it. I even replayed the call just to be sure I hadn’t missed something in the message. Nope, hadn’t missed a thing. I made a note of the name to see if I could find this customer in our database.  It wasn’t much to go on, but it was a start.

As a business owner, I deal with customers daily. Most are pleasant and friendly until something goes awry in the order process.  The kind little woman who ended the call with “thank you, dear, I love your products” turns into a dragon lady breathing flames of righteous indignation because her order was delivered a day late (due to major flooding in areas of the South).

When you work with people, in any capacity, you will have complaints; some legitimate, some not. I have no issues with handling a complaint, after all, I want my customers to be satisfied and say nice things about me and my company. We all like people to say nice things about us.

Let’s go back to the caller who wants her money back. It is difficult to help someone who fails to provide vital information needed to reach a resolution. And sometimes, as with the dragon lady, there is no resolution; my company doesn’t have a private line to Mother Nature, nor does UPS. When things don’t go as planned the response of many is anger; and any attempt to work toward a resolution falls on deaf ears.

I can identify with my ‘money back’ and dragon lady customers. There are times in my own life when things didn’t go as planned, when I believed God’s customer service desk was more than lacking. Times I have dialed up heaven demanding restitution; or, spouting off to God how setbacks were delaying MY plans. As I blew off my anger, I never gave God the opportunity to respond.

I speak from experience, responding in anger to our ‘not as expected moments’ and ‘delays’ in our life will not bump you to the front of God’s customer service line.

When you do reach the front of the line; calmly state your case before God and be willing to listen. It is amazing what we can hear when we approach a situation void of anger.

“A fool vents all his feelings, but a wise man holds them back.” (Proverbs 29:11)

Today’s prayer:

Dear God, help me practice self-control. When anger rises within me, remind me a quick tempered person reacts without judgment and lacks understanding.

Amen