Yesterday, I had one of those moments.
You know the kind—the ones where your frustration boils over, your sense of justice kicks in, and you walk away certain you were right… only to later realize you were very wrong.
I stopped at a fast food place for a quick lunch, but instead of quick and easy, I encountered a rude, unhelpful employee. Her tone felt sharp, her words dismissive. I felt disrespected. So I did what my pride whispered was “standing up for myself”: I went straight to her manager and said, “You need to teach your employees how to talk to customers.”
Oof. Not exactly a spirit-led statement.
The manager defended her employee, and the exchange escalated until I left angry and indignant. I even posted about it on Facebook, announcing I’d never return, ranting about poor customer service. And then… came the conviction.
After the adrenaline wore off, the Holy Spirit gently nudged me: Was that really how Jesus would have wanted me to respond?
Here’s the thing: I wasn’t wrong for being upset. Rudeness is frustrating. But I was wrong in how I responded. I let my self-righteousness take the wheel instead of humility, compassion, or curiosity about what might have been going on in their day, not to mention, the 94 degree weather we were having (this can make anyone a bit ‘rude’!)
The Bible says in James 1:19–20:
“Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.”
Yikes. That verse hit hard.
Jesus didn’t call us to react. He called us to respond—with love, even when it’s undeserved. Especially when it’s undeserved. He said in Matthew 5:44:
“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”
It’s not natural, and it’s certainly not easy. But it’s holy. It’s what makes us different.
I don’t know what that employee was going through. Maybe she was just rude. Or maybe she was overwhelmed, undertrained, overworked, or just plain tired. Maybe she needed someone to see her as a human being, not just a server.
I deleted my Facebook post. Not because the situation wasn’t frustrating—but because I realized I let pride speak louder than grace.
So what should we do in moments like these?
- Pause before reacting. Take a breath. Say a prayer. Let the Spirit lead.
- Choose grace over being “right.” It’s okay to advocate for yourself—but tone and timing matter.
- Reflect before posting. Ask: Is this going to build up or just tear down?
- Repent when you get it wrong. God’s mercy meets us right in our mess—and we grow through it.
Next time, I pray I’ll respond differently. With humility. With patience. With the heart of someone who knows they’ve been given grace—and wants to give it, too.
Because the world doesn’t need more angry customers. It needs more kind Christians.