I was at Fry's Electronics enjoying my day. And all of the sudden my flip flop broke! It just came apart and Was flopping around! So here I was walking around this giant store with one shoe on and holding the other. I was so embarrassed! I went to the bathroom and looked in my purse for anything to fix it. I didn't have super glue or duct tape (who carries that?) so I threw my shoes in the trash. No sense walking around with one shoe on...that looked even dumber than no shoes!
We were looking for a computer to buy for Trey and trying to decide on different sizes and styles when a salesperson approached me. She said, "Ma'am I am going to have to ask you to leave. You need shoes to be in this store." I proceeded to tell her that my flip flops broke as I walked into the store but she didn't care and didn't listen. She pointed at the exit and my bare feet and told me to leave!
I was shocked! My sister and my son Trey couldn't believe it either and they both started to laugh because that is how my family shows love. Ha.
My face felt hot and I told her I would be happy to leave after we were finished looking at the computers. She once again; only this time loudly, told me to leave. And pointed towards the front of the store like a crazy person. So my sister and my boys went ahead of me to the exit. I was so upset and embarrassed that I didn't realize I had walked to the entrance instead of the exit and the door would not open.
The lovely and best employee EVER yells loudly, "Ma'am, that is the entrance...please proceed to the exit." Now everyone in line is looking at me...I have no shoes and apparently now I cannot read either! I looked and probably was talking like a crazy person at that point.
Humiliation arose as well as anger. I walked out into the parking lot. To make matters worse...I stepped on chewing gum on the way to the car!!!!! Now I am laughing and crying at the same time. We all were. It was a big thick purple and hot piece of gum and i had to pull on it for an eternity to get it off.
As I scraped the gum off of my feet I wondered what would cause someone to treat another person like that. I was dressed kinda sloppy and my hair was in a pony tail and I didn't have hardly any makeup on. Or was she simply following the "No shirt. No shoes. No service" rule?
I am still unsure to this day. But what I do know is this: everyone you encounter is going through something so we should treat each other with dignity and respect. We never know the circumstances that a person is going through so make sure you do not judge anyone based on their looks or presentation. If the lady would have taken the time to hear what I was saying she might have found it funny as well and we together would have agreed that I needed to go buy a pair of shoes as soon as possible. All I know know is that I will NOT go shop at Fry's Electronics EVER!
Don't let your words prevent someone from entering the doors of your church or from wanting to ask Jesus into their heart based on bad communication or a negative representation that you make. Likewise, people are not always going to line up with what we think they should look like or talk like either.
Sometimes in our need to follow the scriptures we get religious...God's first command for us though is to LOVE. Thankfully, if someone among us has no shirt or has no shoes....that is our call to action! We are to serve others. Apparently that Fry's employee forgot that she was there to SERVE the customer.
Isaiah 52:7 says that beautiful are the feet of them that bring Good News. I am grateful that God loves my feet even though Fry's Electronics didn't seem to care for them at all :))
Adjust That Crown!
Jonna
