FAITHFUL IN LITTLE

 

Something happened yesterday that highlighted a food-for-thought moment for me.

I got a call in the afternoon from someone who needed a certain professional service and asked for the contact of someone who had provided a service for me in that area. 

I immediately remembered how the person had done that job, quite unsatisfactorily, and that it was even pending finalization, with delays and excuses that didn’t quite add up which left me with a not-so-good impression about the situation. 

When I do a job, I like to do it well. To do a shabby job is both to disrespect oneself as a professional service provider and to disrespect the customer you are serving. It’s better not to do a job than to do it with less than noble motive or intent.

Anyways, I would not say much or go into details but it seemed to me that this professional was trying to take personal and undue advantage of an apparent adversity which he may have heard about, or he may have had some other ulterior motive or hidden agenda best known to him and whoever else in a perceived or seeming arrangement of sorts. It was quite confusing, not being able to place where the disconnect was coming from. 

You can already see the unnecessary (or perhaps necessary) doubts and uncertainties his action or inaction had created. He may have also been unwittingly compromised, blindsided and manipulated into being indisposed to doing the right thing by some unscrupulous persons. 

So I simply told the person who called that I’d rather not recommend that particular person at that time for that service and for good reasons, until I was certain what exactly was going on; until my dwindling confidence in his services was fully restored. I do not want to refer services that would be less than satisfactory or that would cause uncertainties or complexities for the client.

Frankly, I think I’m typically quite tolerant and cut people some slack because everyone can make mistakes or can be faced with unforeseen circumstances beyond their control but when it becomes increasingly clear that there are real albeit underlying concerns of deliberate deception, dishonesty and discrepancies; subtle sabotage; or masked and muted mockery, then I get the unspoken message and do what I deem fit. 

These are my preliminary submissions:

Sometimes the best way to see the true character of people is how they treat people who they think are more disadvantaged than them; who they think they do not need; who they think are in a vulnerable condition; who they think can easily be taken advantage of. That’s when you see the angel or devil in a person. The goodness or w!ckedness in their heart. (Of course, some are very good at camouflaging their w!cked intentions and plans). 

Therefore I say: if a person protects the rights of people who they could have taken advantage of, then that person is a just person who fears God and has regard for people. 

Further submissions are as follows:

If you treat people well, and if they can see that you are a truly genuine person who is not sending mixed signals, not trying to play a smart one on them, not trying to ‘use’ their head and not leaving them with doubts and uncertainty as to your genuineness, cooperation, goodwill and support.

If you always do your job satisfactorily, honestly and wholeheartedly not halfheartedly, deceitfully or shabbily.

Then you may be remembered and recommended for more (and even greater) opportunities. 

Don’t play with little openings. You may never know.

It may not even come from them but the universe has been created and designed by God in such a way that it operates with certain universal laws and governing principles. 

An example is this abiding and timeless principle re-empathized in the Bible by Paul the apostle of Christ: “Don’t be deceived. God is not mocked. Whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap”.

Even if there is no reward, for conscience sake do the just and fair thing to your fellow human being.

But, as we should all know, there are always consequences to every action, seen or unseen, known or unknown.

It will ultimately, in this life or in the hereafter, be well with those who walk rightly and justly.

It is better (definitely not good but a lesser ev!l) to hurt yourself if you must hurt anyone than to hurt other people or another person. GOD IS JUST.

We should endeavor to be genuinely good with any opportunity, activity or relationship we are involved in, personal or business. We can’t be trusted with more things if we have proven unreliable in smaller things. 

Even if you think you are serving a fool or nonentity, as long as you have agreed to serve them, do it well and genuinely. Matter of fact, that same fool or nonentity can lead you to a greater opportunity either by strategy or by mistake. I say, you never know. 

Even a mistake is an opportunity. Every little job or business is an opportunity. A big person may one day chance upon a small place and ask for the contact of the person who did the job in the small place. Do you know?

Remember the highly instructive words of Christ: “He who is faithful in a very little thing is also faithful in much; and he who is dishonest in a very little thing is also dishonest in much.”