Love the One You’re With

Yesterday I spent a lot of time on hold and in conversations with ‘technical specialists.’ There were some website-creation issues that I hadn’t anticipated which was partially the fault of another ‘technical specialist’ I spoke with a couple of weeks ago who said this little migration thing wouldn’t be a big problem.

Long story.

It could’ve been at some point past midnight when it dawned on me, but I think it was when I was seeing things slightly more clearly this morning — the thought that all those people who chatted with me yesterday, sent me emails instead of answering my questions directly, and pushed me to purchase technical assistance when I kind of felt like they owed it to me to help me anyway because it was partly their fault I was in this predicament to begin with — those people don’t actually go to bed at night dreaming about how to further frustrate another disgruntled customer when they head to work the next morning.

They probably didn’t draw a picture of a telephone accompanying a sign that said “I want to work at a call center when I grow up” in kindergarten.

And while it can be pretty darn frustrating when the person across the counter… in the other lane… or at the other end of the line in India just doesn’t seem to be seeing things from your perspective — maybe it would help if you were able to take a moment to see it from theirs.

Maybe they’re not living their dream. Who knows what’s going on in their personal lives outside this 9 to 5 they feel enslaved to? And is their supervisor listening in to half their calls to make sure they don’t over-assist a customer who should be paying for additional support?

And more seriously — what about that thing in their hearts that they were created to do, born to do — that dream that is burning in each of them, the thing that they might actually be thinking about when their head hits the pillow at night, that they’re too afraid to step out and give a shot because their life is consumed by getting shouted at by disgruntled customers all day, which has kind of affected their self-confidence… what about their dream?

One of my favourite moments from a kids movie, like ever, is the scene from the movie Tangled where Rapunzel’s guide takes her to a rough tavern, hoping that it’ll scare her into heading home instead of following her dream. Instead of getting frightened into running home, she asks a simple question that resonates with the rough and brash and burly ruffians she is supposed to be afraid of.

Haven’t any of you people ever had a dream?

And this is the answer she receives to that question:

I love it.

The truth is, there is always more than meets the eye to each person we encounter every day — and remembering that each one of us was created with a purpose — whether or not we know that purpose or believe we have one — can completely change the way we perceive each other and the way we receive each other.

It seems like when Jesus looked at people He saw something other people didn’t see. He looked at that rich young ruler and loved him. He saw Zacchaeus in the tree and wanted to spend time with him. He was ready with compassion when everybody else was ready to throw stones.

He saw worth and value. He responded with love.

Can you see the dreamer inside the people around you today? Can you look for the God-given worth and value that the rest of the world can’t see?

Sometimes the only thing necessary to change our day is that kind of change that looks in the mirror and starts in our own hearts.

Love the one you’re with.

xCC