By Gary Andrews
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What has happened to old-fashion customer service? For the past few months I have looked at the type of service I receive when going into a merchandising store, convenience store, drive-thru windows, counter service at fast food restaurants, and other locations. Having worked in a service oriented business for the past 45 years, I am strictly appalled at the kind of service some of our younger workers are giving at these locations. No wonder sales are down.
There is absolutely no appreciation from some of these workers to the customers who come in to buy their wares. Many times I have observed “You made up your mind for what you want” or “Is that all”. There are no smiles, no friendly greetings, no Thank You, no come again. Nothing but blank stares when you pay. Please understand, not everyone is like this and produce very good service for the person or chain they are working for. However, it is becoming more and more abundant for the discourteous and lack of friendly service that used to be common place.
As employers we must instill into our employees the necessity of dealing with people in a positive and friendly service. Quality service produces a customer that wants to come back and visit with your business again. That is why employee training is so important. The future of that employee will grow and prosper not only him, but you as the employer as well.
Many of our youth today can’t find jobs. I would dare say that some of the reasons are their people skills. They have to be taught and much of this training should come from the home and then the employers.
We, as Christians, encounter many of the same problems. Maybe we don’t want to help or witness to someone because we lack the personal skills to do so, or maybe we haven’t had the training to do so. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we must study His word and learn from the wise teachers around us. Jesus equips us with all the tools for personal skills; we just have to learn to use them.
Just as some of our younger generation starting their first jobs, our witnessing to others is parallel to what Cavett Robert once said, “Eighty-five percent of the reason you get a job, keep that job, and move ahead in that job has to do with your people skills and people knowledge.”
Just as these young unfriendly and unskilled workers are going to learn their way through the door of hard knocks, we as Christians should tell them their way to a prosperous life is through the free gift of Salvation that only Jesus provides. Ephesians 2:10 tells us, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
Prayer: Thank you Lord for the opportunity of seeing these new employees with few or no people skills. I pray Lord that you will use me to help them see the light, not only in the job, but through Your Son Jesus Christ. Amen.
(Suggested daily Bible readings: Sunday – Matthew 10:24; Tuesday – James 1:2-15; Wednesday – Psalm 100; Thursday – Psalm 2:11; Friday – 1 Corinthians 12:4-11; Saturday – Acts 20:19-21.)
Gary Andrews is the author of Encouraging Words: 30-days in God’s Word. To obtain a copy go to his website www.gadevotionals .com

By Gary Andrews
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Many years ago Linda and I returned to a city where we once lived and worked, to visit with some old friends. Most of the time these experiences are tremendous and so was this particular one, only this one had a story to go with it that I will never forget.
This story is very sad; however it shows the strength and faith of a strong family and their relationship to Jesus Christ. We have known these people for many years and went to church with them. Our children were about the same age and they played together on many occasions.
Their oldest son had breathing problems when he was young and had a tracheotomy. The hole in his throat was apparent to everyone but this never slowed this youngster down. His parents handled this problem very well and never once did I ever hear a complaint from them concerning this. I am not sure I could have handled this medical procedure with the faith and courageousness that they did.
The tracheotomy is nothing compared to the story we heard when we visited with them again. One of Unknown to us because of lost communication, our friends had added three more children to their nest. One of the saddest stories I have ever heard was when the father related to me the story of a child they lost. Their young daughter was born with a hole in her heart and problems with her lungs. Her name was Naomi.
As he told me the story of this brave young child I kept thinking he would break down and shed tears. He didn’t, but I know he could see the tears in my eyes. He spoke of her energy and how she would win the hearts of her doctors and nurses. She loved books and memorized many Bible verses. She also loved to sing.
Naomi’s mom home schooled her children so she could be with them and also care for Naomi during her time of illness. One day as her dad was working he got a call from his son to come home immediately. This was a call he had received on several occasions only to see Naomi pull out of her complications and live to see another day. However, this day was different.
When he got home Naomi was laying on the sofa. He went and knelt down beside her and Naomi asked if she could say her Bible verses. After she recited them to her parents she asked her mother if Jesus came to save her from her sins and her mother answered “Yes” in a very understanding way.
Naomi had one final request that her Mom, Dad, and oldest brother hold hands with her and that her brother lead them in prayer. When he finished his prayer this brave young girl turned her head in her mother’s lap and went home to be with the Lord. She was 4 ½ years old.
I think of this story often and hurt for this family but this is not what they want. They want us to see beyond death and know about eternal life. The courage I see in this mother and father and their faith in God has got to be an inspiration and encouragement to anyone.
I know that there are many parents that have had children pass away and it has got to be one of the greatest hurts. We can sympathize and share the pain with these parents, however until someone walks in their shoes they can never experience the hurt. I thank the Lord every day for the parents that have lost children and go on with life and see the rewards that will come someday!
Prayer: Lord thank you for the children you have blessed us with. I pray that I have taught them and raised them in a way that is pleasing to you. Thank you for the assurance of knowing that one day we will all live with you in your kingdom. Amen.
(Suggested daily Bible readings: Sunday – Psalm 116:12-16; Monday – James 5:7-11; Tuesday – Revelation 14:13; Wednesday – Ecclesiastes 7:1-2; Thursday – 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Friday – 1 Corinthians 15:50-58; Saturday – Psalm 147:10-11.)
Gary Andrews is the author of Encouraging Words: 30-days in God’s Word. To obtain a copy go to his website www.gadevotionals.com

By Gary Andrews
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Over the past few years I have worked with some very wonderful people. I have seen many different personalities and had to deal with most of them. For the most part everyone wants to be happy but some can’t seem to get it through their head that happiness starts with them.
Some 20 years ago I worked with a person that had gone through some real problems at her previous job. It seems that she wasn’t happy for her family being at the income level they were at and she decided to use some of the money that was coming through the office of her employer. This lady wasn’t a bad person and her intentions were to keep her family in a higher social level than they really could afford.
On the outset it didn’t seem as though she was a miserable person, but she probably was because of the society she wanted to be part of. After many hours of counseling she did come to the realization that the people she was socializing with weren’t that happy and they in turn were making her miserable because she wasn’t at their financial level. She had a wonderful family and all she would ever need, had she just realized, that she had more love than most of these people she was trying to keep up with
Trying to keep up with our neighbors can make us miserable because of something we don’t have, instead of being happy with what we do have. In some instances it takes a tragedy or the loss of a love one to bring us into the realization of how unhappy we are as a person because of our circumstances. Once this traumatic change has been made we then realize who we are and what we have become because of the situation we allowed our self to be put in and by the company we keep.
Many times we as neighbors or co-workers don’t realize how unhappy a person is unless they confide in us. These people are sometimes very sharp in their dress, very charismatic, strictly business and professional, and don’t allow too many people to be close to them.
As the person I talked about above, who incidentally has a terrific marriage and life, no one would ever realize the troubles, pain, or misery they have as individuals. It takes an incident to bring out their true feelings and then you see a change of attitude
When we allow ourselves to become unhappy and continue to keep people around us that are unhappy then we are setting ourselves up for a fall. I remember one person telling me after coming to the realization of his unhappiness, “When you are miserable you feed off of others that are miserable also.”
There are many people in the world that are in the same situation this person was. It is my opinion and I believe that many professionals will tell you the same thing; life is too short to spend time with people who suck the happiness out of you. Please understand that I am not advocating destroying friendships or marriages but I am saying that proper counseling will help in these type situations. People have to realize when that time has come. Sometimes people closest too you will hurt you the most if your relationship is not founded on the Lord.
All of us have the opportunity to have a friend that will never leave us. His name is Jesus and yes He should be your Lord and Savior. When all else around you crumbles and fall, Jesus will be with you to lift you up again. All you have to do is put your faith and trust in Him and He will never leave you or disappoint you.
The Psalmist tells us in 37:4, “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.
(Prayer: Father God, thank you for each and every day that you allow me to live on this earth. I pray that I will live the way you want me to live and not be a burden on anyone. Amen.
(Suggested daily Bible readings: Sunday – Psalm 37:1-9; Monday – Luke 12:13-21; Tuesday – Jeremiah 9:1-6; Wednesday – Ezekiel 13:3; Thursday – Ephesians 4:1-16; Friday – Obadiah 3-4; Saturday – Isaiah 1:19.)
Gary Andrews is the author of Encouraging Words: 30-days in God’s Word. To obtain a copy go to his website www.gadevotionals.com

By Gary Andrews
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Princess Diana once said, “Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you.”
There is so much truth in this. I have seen over my years of dealing with people that everyone has kindness in their heart, however it is characterized by the environment they are in or have been raised in. I have seen people of different backgrounds and walks of life issue kindness toward others that many have never thought would be possible. There are so many people that are touched by what we say or do, and many of us don’t realize the magnitude of just how far our acts of gratitude, kindness and gentleness will be carried.
On the other hand, people have done things that have affected our outcome in life, and many times we do not realize it until it is pointed out to us.
I remember a story of a U.S. Navy jet pilot that was shot down in enemy territory while serving in Vietnam. After his jet was hit with enemy fire he parachuted to the ground only to be captured and spend the next six years in a Vietnamese prison.
Many years after his release, he was sitting in a restaurant one day when he was approached by a gentleman.
The man said, “you are Plumb aren’t you?”
The ex-pilot replied, “I am, but how would you know that.”
The man said you were shot down over Vietnam after you had taken off from the air craft carrier Kitty Hawk and you parachuted to safety only to be captured.”
The pilot said, “you are correct, but how in the world would you know that.”
The man said, “I packed your parachute!”
The pilot, whose name is Charles Plumb, stood up to shake the man’s hand and tell him thank you for the good job he had done on the parachute, because it got him to the ground safely.
Plumb is now a motivational speaker, and he tells this story at most of all his conferences.
Not only does he tell about the man that packed his physical parachute, but he tells of the ones that packed his mental parachute, his emotional parachute and his spiritual parachute.
After meeting the man, Plumb couldn’t sleep and wondered how many times he may have seen this former sailor and didn’t speak or acknowledge him. After all he was a fighter pilot and the other man was just a sailor.
How many times in life do we face daily challenges that life gives us? How often do we miss what is really important by failing to say thank you, hello, please, or congratulate someone on something wonderful that has happened to them? How many times have we missed a chance to give a compliment or just do something nice for a person?
1 Corinthians 13:4 says, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.”
Can we honestly say that we live this verse? If we showed more kindness toward our family, neighbors, friends and everyone that we meet, this world would be a better place.
Are we packing someone’s mental, emotional, or spiritual parachute?
Prayer: Father I pray that I can be the kind of person that shows kindness to everyone. Help me to understand situations around me and not be judgemental toward others. Amen.
(Suggested daily Bible readings: Sunday - Jeremiah 9:23-24; Monday - 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a; Tuesday - Proverbs 11:16-19; Wednesday - Ephesians 4:29-32; Thursday - Colossians 3:12-14; Friday - Zechariah 7:9-10; Saturday - 1 John 3:16-20.)
Gary Andrews is the author of “Encouraging Words – 30 days in God’s Word” an uplifting devotional book leading into a daily journey. To obtain a copy of his book visit his website at www.gadevotionals.com or stop by the Yazoo Herald for an autographed copy.