by Zeke Flores<\/p>\n
An interesting thing happened at a grocery store one morning. I was at the customer service desk and saw a man complaining very loudly to a store manager about the rude service he thought he had gotten from one of the store clerks. While the manager did her best to be sympathetic and understanding, the man became more and more furious (!) and eventually was yelling and cursing. He was inflicting much worse on the manager than he had told her he had received from the clerk!<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/angry-300x200.avif\")
We may bristle at poor customer service or, worse, even become angrily indignant about sin, but we should remember that how we deal with confrontational situations may tempt us to commit the very thing we condemn. Christians shouldn’t be doormats, but neither should we be hypocritical as we make our voices heard.<\/p>\n
So, remember to check yourself first, whether you’re complaining about poor customer service, debating contrary politics, opposing sin, or doing anything else.<\/p>\n
“Treat others the same way you want them to treat you<\/em>” (Luke 6:31).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Zeke Flores An interesting thing happened at a grocery store one morning. I was at the customer service desk and saw a man complaining very loudly to a store manager about the rude service he thought he had gotten from one of the store clerks. While the manager did her best to be sympathetic…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[1503,1039,811],"class_list":["post-83592","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-anger","tag-complaints","tag-self-control"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":36159,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/did-i-do-wrong-bringing-up-an-issue-about-when-the-collection-should-be-counted\/","url_meta":{"origin":83592,"position":0},"title":"Did I do wrong bringing up an issue about when the collection should be counted?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 18, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: My wife and I moved to this community several years ago. We've been attending the church and have grown increasingly active through the years. I now teach both on Sunday morning and Wednesday night and we help where we can. Our church has a normal weekly attendance under 100,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":58174,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/more-than-a-haircut\/","url_meta":{"origin":83592,"position":1},"title":"More Than a Haircut","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 20, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jennifer Kegley via\u00a0Biblical Insights, Vol. 7, No. 5, May 2007 \"Seek and you shall find\" You never know when you are going to cross paths with someone who is searching for the Lord. There are people in this world who are seeking and it is our duty as Christians\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/hair-stylist-300x200.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":95532,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/should-i-take-a-position-that-may-involve-serving-alcohol\/","url_meta":{"origin":83592,"position":2},"title":"Should I take a position that may involve serving alcohol?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 9, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hi, I work at a grocery store and am about to begin my training for a promotion. This promotion will involve various new tasks, such as closing the store, opening and working in customer service, handling cash, and, my main concern, working in our coffee and alcohol section. I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":11670,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/a-steward-of-god\/","url_meta":{"origin":83592,"position":3},"title":"A Steward of God","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 1, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Matthew 25:14-30 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Consider Psalm 24:1-2 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0What does it mean that everything belongs to God? \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0God made it, so therefore He has the right of ownership - Deuteronomy 10:14 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a02.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Even we belong to God - Ezekiel 18:4 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a03.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0God doesn\u2019t owe anyone because He pre-existed all\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":67793,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-beauty-of-jesus\/","url_meta":{"origin":83592,"position":4},"title":"The Beauty of Jesus","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 27, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Doy Moyer We sing, \"Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me.\" What is the beauty of Jesus? While we often connect beauty to outward appearance, that is not the sense in which the beauty of Jesus draws us, for \"he had no form or majesty that we\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":58646,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/people-change\/","url_meta":{"origin":83592,"position":5},"title":"People Change","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 1, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"by Donnie V. Rader via\u00a0Guardian of Truth\u00a0XL: No. 19, p. 6-7, October 3, 1996 When General Motors came out with the new aerodynamic style Chevy Caprice (1990) I said that I would never have one of those \"ugly\" things. 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