A few months ago, the DMV decided to mark my driver’s license as inactive. The DMV didn’t notify me that it happened. I found out by getting a letter from my insurance company saying they were going to cancel my plan because my license was inactive. I called them to find out what they knew about it, and I was told to check with the DMV. Naturally, I was thrilled upon hearing that I needed to go to the DMV to clear it up.
My trip to the DMV ended up being the best experience I’ve ever had at a DMV. I got there right before they closed and was able to walk right up to a desk. The employee helped figure out the glitch in their system and clear everything up. 10 minutes later I was walking out and my license was active.
I called my insurance company to let them know they could recheck my license because it was active. The lady on the phone rechecked, saw it was active, and removed the red flag from my account. As she was finishing up what she needed to do, she said, “Thank you for being so pleasant on the phone. The way you’ve spoken and even just your tone have made this the best call I’ve taken all day.” I was thrown a little bit. Not because I had been rude or unpleasant, but I also hadn’t gone out of my way to be kind. I thanked her and let her know I knew it wasn’t their fault this had happened and that I was just glad it was all cleared up.
As we finished up our call, she continued to thank me for how kind I had been. It reminded me that we don’t always know what people are going through. I imagine that she had a pretty rough day. She probably had talked to a lot of disgruntled people that had not treated her with love or kindness. Her day had been rough enough that talking to someone that wasn’t mad or upset stood out.
It was a great reminder of what I already knew. A kind word or even just a smile can go a long way. Proverbs 16:24 says, “Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.” I am not always the best at this (just ask Spectrum). Every interaction I have with someone is a chance to show them the love of Christ. I never know when that kind word or action is going to be the things that helps turn their day, week, year, or life around.
until next time…