I was in the Express line of our local supermarket the other day. It’s a large supermarket with over 40 cash registers. Most days however, only about a quarter of these are open.
There are eight EXPRESS cash registers, one of which is open.
The man in front of me in the line kindly informs me that they are about to close this cash register. They would serve him but that he was the last customer.
It was supposed to have been a quick trip to the supermarket. I had three items to buy and they were all in the same aisle. The plan was to duck in and duck out. I scanned the other registers for a relatively short line, with people who had just a few items.The cashier then informs us that the register will remain open as another cashier had arrived to take her place. So as they did their change over, we waited. Time was ticking by.
‘So much for EXPRESS’, I comment to the man in front.
‘Yes,’ he replies, smiling. ‘It’s not so express.'
Something I notice is that here in Chile, it doesn’t matter how long the line is, generally people are patient. And believe me, the lines here in Chile are something to be noted and we spend a lot of time in them. So I commented to the gentleman that I had noted people’s patience with these situations here.
‘We are brought up this way!’ he says. ‘There are always lines, lines here, lines there and you have to wait.’
‘I get frustrated with all the waiting,’ I point out my character flaw.
‘It used to be worse, we’ve got a lot better now,’ he comments.
‘I shouldn’t complain then,’ I respond, feeling a little corrected.
‘Oh no, you should complain it’s the only way things change!’ he said light heartedly but with strength.
We finished our conversation as the gentleman was about to be served.
Two things struck me about our brief conversation. One being his comment of how we are raised. So much of our childhood experiences mould us and forms our thinking and expectations. We make many decisions based on this experience and we respond to situations distinctly because of the expectations that this creates in our lives.
The other on being his concept of how things are changed - through complaining.
This got me thinking. Does complaining really bring about change? If, yes. Is it real change? Change that lasts? Is it for the right motives?
When I think about complaining and the emotions it raises in both the recipient of the complaint and the complainer. I think, frustration, desperate, a feeling of bother. Is the person who brings the complaint really wanting change? The one receiving the complaint, do they really hear the complaint for what it is? Or are they just wanting to change the situation in the moment, to remove the discomfort rather than deal with the real issue? It gets cloudy doesn’t it.
Real change is transforming, liberating, challenging but fruitful. It speaks the truth. Sheds light on the situation and brings about a modification or even converts the situation, person or community of people into something more productive and worthwhile.
Pray that we will be real change makers. People who bring the truth to situations, share grace and bring change that benefits of others. Not just for this life but also for the life to come. May we live our lives in such a manner that people are drawn to the incomparable change maker. Jesus.
