Your System is Stupid

The phone call was getting frustrating and the customer service rep obviously didn’t know the answer to my questions and even after going for help wasn’t able to help me.


After the third time she started with “It’s hard to explain, but that’s the way it is” I interrupted.

“Never mind. Your system is stupid, but it is what it is.” I clicked the button and hung up on the rep.

I hadn’t yelled, raised my voice or even slammed the phone down, but a coworker heard me. She poked her head around my cubicle and said, “Did you just say it’s stupid, but it is what it is?”

When I confirmed that I did indeed say it, she responded with how she didn’t think I would say something like that. It just wasn’t like me.

That’s true; she’s known me for less than a year. I’m sure my reaction was a surprise to her. But to me it took me back a decade. It reminded me of someone I used to be.

You see for much of my life I was an angry person. I had a temper and was quick to let people know that I did. I’m pretty sure that for most of my teen years my family didn’t really like me because I was mean and nasty.

In 1997 that part of me was changed. After I came to know Jesus He made changes in my life. He worked on me until some of my hard edges were softened. My anger was tempered and I was better able to control it.

Jesus accepted me that night in 1997 with all my warts and faults. He knew exactly who I was and He loved me in spite of that. But, He wouldn’t let me remain as I was. As I grew in my relationship with Him the changes happened.

That phone call and my response to it reminded me of how far I’ve come. It also reminded me of who I was at one time. My coworker’s response was an indication of what He has done in my life. I’m grateful for the way Jesus has changed me.