About two weeks ago my friend took his watch in to have a battery replaced. The battery was replaced in his Timex, but they could not replace the back of the watch for they didn’t have the right tools to perform the procedure. The owner of the store told him he would send this watch to the jewelers to see if they would be able to properly place the cover back on the watch. My friend told him it would be alright; he would buy another if no one could fix it. One week passed. He wondered why his watch was not returned and no one notified him. He went by the store to see if any progress was made. To his surprise, the watch was never taken to the jeweler. Needless to say, he was quite perturbed and retrieved the watch and went to the jeweler himself.
He later told me how unconcerned they seemed to be. It wasn’t so much about the watch but their word they didn’t keep. He has been a customer for many years. He felt as though he didn’t matter and they ignored him. I always hate when things like this happen to my friend, for he is a new Christian and behavior like this undermines what I try to teach him from Scripture.
I write many times about daily occurrences in life, for how we live our lives before others is key to teaching them truth. Moment by moment, day by day, month by month, year in and year out, our words must match our actions. We may be the only Gospel some read. The conversation of our lives matters very much.
“Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.” Ecclesiastes 5:5
“Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.” Romans 13:8
“Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to thom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honour.” Romans 13:7
“Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another.” Leviticus 19:11
“Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and tomorrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.” Proverbs 3:28
If we give our word to someone, we should honor it. If we are unable to fulfill a task, call them or go by and see them and explain why. As many avenues of communication as we have, there is no excuse for treating others poorly. Better yet, as in the situation of my friend, the owner should have purchased a watch or given him a gift card to choose the one he wanted.
“Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.”
“And as you would that men should do to you, do you also to them likewise.” Luke 6:31
God’s Word teaches this principle, and what we think is unimportant or insignificant, matters much to others. Be considerate. Be kind. Be thoughtful. Keep your word. Pay your debts. Our lives are watched daily, and though others may never say anything when situations such as the above arise, they remember how you treated them. We honor God when we love our fellow man.
“People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou
“Do you ever wonder if we make the moments in our lives, or if the moments in our lives make us?” ~ Scott
Eileen Light