I, I, AND MORE I!!!
–God got me up in the middle of the night to write this one… 
“Maybe I should walk you through the process of changing your password, then you need to write it down somewhere safe so you will know it next time.”
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? I’ve worked with computers probably longer than you’ve been alive…
Last Monday, I had several phone calls to make that were time sensitive, two being returns. One item was lost in the mail completely, and the other proved to be the last straw.
We have been having issues with our sound system at the church for several weeks. It doesn’t matter what time or day during the week we go to check it out or how early on Sunday morning we turn it on, every single mic works fine until 11 a.m. on Sunday morning for our church service.
We ordered a new mixer and waited while it shipped. When we unboxed it to hook it up, we realized the back ports did not match the speaker cables that were to be plugged into it. So, I made a flying trip to Lubbock for an adapter. The gentlemen at the electronic store informed me they do not make an adapter. We would either need to order another mixer that has the right hook-ups or get new speakers and a new amp box.
I boxed it back up and placed a request to return an item, then I ordered another mixer just like the one we already have. Simple, right?
The return was accepted and said UPS would pick the item up but gave no dates or times or even ballpark figures of when to expect them, so I called to see if I could get more information. Simple request, right?
To begin with, I had trouble understanding the woman’s accent and she had trouble understanding mine. I felt like I was speaking to a small child, slowly and over pronouncing each syllable. All went smoothly until she asked me to log into the link she sent. I had clicked about 5 different texts or emails saying I was in fact Chris Baker, I was in fact calling them for help, I had true access to the code they sent, I knew the name and address of the account holder and address, and I had the order number and item. That last link sent me over the edge.
By this time, we’ve been on the phone for 30 minutes and I was super frustrated. Every time I entered our password, it kicked me back to the beginning of the process to start over. Instead of listening to me, she got stuck on the “I can help you reset your password and write it down next time” speech. I am very meticulous and organized about our passwords and computer files, so this elevated my frustration.
I have a love/hate relationship with electronics. When moody or emotional, phones, kindles, computers, and watches go berserk and do funky things or quit working altogether. My attitude because of this phone call was messing with my phone.
Before I said something I could not take back, I hung up, thinking I would call back when I calmed down and could get someone on the other end I could understand. Immediately, and I mean within 3 seconds, my phone rang, and you can guess who it was. “Uh, yes, Mrs. Baker, we were disconnected…” “Yep! You’re right, we were.” I am ashamed to say I wasn’t overly nice after that. I wasn’t totally rude, but I was probably an 8 on a scale of 1-10.
She placed a completely new return order, which meant I had to cut into the package and add another packing slip which aggravated me further. I called with a simple question. It should have a simple answer. When she asked if she resolved the issue I called about, I said, “Not unless you can tell me when to expect UPS to pick this item up,” to which she replied, “I just do what they tell me. I can only see certain things at my level. You just have to watch for them.”
Thinking back on it later, it is almost comical, notice I said almost. When my mind began replaying that conversation, I wondered what my problem was. I didn’t even have to pray about it before God revealed my issue (at 1 a.m. because that’s when God deals with me). It was P-R-I-D-E.
Benny and I are a team. He does hardware and I do software. For the last few Sundays at church when the sound system has messed up, I see that as incompetence on my part. Benny has everything hooked up right, wires where they go, and all the hardware is in order. When microphones quit working, the first inclination is that something on the mixer needs to be changed, and that is my job.
Don’t get me wrong, this is all in my mind. No one at the church acts like it is any fault of mine. We just move on without it, and it is fine. But it irks me that something is messing up on my watch. Our sound system is old, and things will eventually go out and need to be replaced. In fact, they say to replace anything we need to or hire someone to do it.
When the customer representative implied that I wasn’t smart enough to know my own password to a website I use daily, I exploded that someone who didn’t even know me would talk down to me like a child. What caused such an angry reaction?
**Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves. Philippians 2:3
I was embarrassed that our system did not work AGAIN this last Sunday, and while still reeling from that, when the rep talked down to me, that pride reared its ugly head again.
**Do you see a person wise in their own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for them. Proverbs 26:12
I am smart enough to know how to turn mics up and down.
I know how to stream online.
I know how to run the media.
And I am computer savvy enough to change a password (and put it in our password file).
I, I, and more I!!!
Because her words stung my pride, I got defensive.
God has a lot to say about pride and He will not let us get away with it for long. He dealt with me at 1 a.m. and I lost sleep over the fact that I had this ugly wound festering in my heart. If you sit and think of several sins and trace them back to the root, pride is the culprit many times.
** In his pride the wicked man does not seek Him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God. Proverbs 10:4
** But He gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” James 4:6
**When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. Proverbs 16:2
** Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. Proverbs 16:18
LORD, this morning, allow me to bow my head and be humble in Your presence. I cannot do any of this without You, and I am not responsible for the gifts You’ve given me to start with. You are the blessing and gift-giver, and I can only do all this through You. The next time my pride rears its ugly head, show me quickly, so it doesn’t fester and grow into a big ugly monster like it did this time. Thank You for allowing me to exercise the gifts You have given me for Your glory. Amen
ON THE PORCH 