Hello friends of Elm Park & Otego UMC’s and a very happy month of October to you all!
October! ‘Tis my favorite month of the year! I will be happy by default because of it! Unfortunately, that won’t be the case for everyone.
Let’s talk about that for a minute. Recently, I had to go to the hospital to have a test done. I was instructed the night before to stop at the security desk once I arrived and they would usher me to my next location. Easy enough, right? Well, the security guard was none to-happy that I bothered him with that. I felt like he thought I should have already known where to go. Not the most pleasant experience as soon as you walk in the door. Off to Registration now. The registration staff member asked me for my co-payment. I had let her know that I had already paid online before the visit. Inexplicably irritated with me, she let me know her computer didn’t show that. I paid a second time. I couldn’t find my destination and asked a receptionist for help to find where I was supposed to go. This woman was outright angry with me for disturbing the rhythm she had going it seemed. Once I found my waiting area, the nurse asked me for my paperwork. I handed her everything I’d been given so far. She tossed two papers back saying she didn’t need them and seemed to convey the message that I should have already known that. Finally, an aide called me to come into the exam room. However, a patient who had been waiting longer than me became irate because I was called first. The aide tried explaining to her that her and I were there for different tests and hers wasn’t quite ready. Unfortunately, that didn’t stop this patient from threatening to involve attorneys to sue the hospital, the aide, and even myself.
Now, it’s time to take my blood pressure!….
My blood pressure was so high they didn’t want to do the test I was there to do. A test I had waited 10 months to be able to have in the first place. Now I’m worked up! Yup! Now I’m mad! I explained to them that I had been inside the hospital for 8 minutes and in that time FIVE people had been rude to me, four of which were employees. I felt as if I was a complete inconvenience to everyone I came in contact with and couldn’t understand why because I was going out of my way to be as polite and cordial as possible. For anyone reading this, please know that I do not expect to be treated nicely because of my position. I expect to be treated nicely because I am human being.
They asked what they could do to help me relax. I responded, “Could you please just be kind, courteous, and professional?” It’s important to note from that moment on they were all nothing but that. But why did I have to ask for that??? I asked myself. I went home and called a friend and told him about my nightmare experience saying…
“There’s something wrong with the world today. I don’t know what it is.”
We investigated that. How many of us have had a similar experience? When it just seems like everyone we’ve encountered in a day has been miserable. Isn’t it easy to blame it on the new generations? It is very easy and I’ve done it myself a few times. But I’ve also come to learn that every generation seems to think their own is the best ever and nobody else can compare. I don’t think this is a generational issue.
We are now living in a post-pandemic world. Regardless of what you have been through in your life, we’ve all only been through ONE pandemic. So many of us do not know how to navigate this new normal. And something else that doesn’t help is the media and social media constantly making sure that we are aware of every negative nook and cranny taking place in every part of the world at all times. As we try to rise, the world tries to pull us back down. It works on many of us, and as a result we walk around in misery all day long. We go grocery shopping miserable. We go the auto shop miserable. We go to Walmart, miserable. We go to school, work, church…miserable.
We live in a world where negativity often overpowers the positivity. I recently read of a post online about a local accident. Many people in the comment section were offering prayer. That is, until the admins instructed them “no prayers in this thread or you will be blocked.” It’s a heartbreaking thing to see.
The way I see it, in the overall picture, the more we have as a society told Jesus that he needs to leave, the more miserable we have become. Sadly, society doesn’t see it that way. So let’s try this…
Let’s know that we are agents of Christ.
Recently, I had a breakfast meeting with our District Superintendent, Bob Kolvik-Campbell. At the breakfast he said to the server “we are praying people, is there anything for you we can pray for today?” I thought – what a wonderful thing to do! So, I implore us all, the next time we encounter a grumpster, ask them if you can pray for them! It just may flip their day around.
Your brother in Christ, John W. Buddle, Pastor
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