"And He said: 'Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.'"
-Matthew 18:3
As I mentioned earlier I have a job working at a technology store. I find it strange when people pay for computers in cash, but it does happen from time to time. Whenever someone pays in cash, the amount is almost never the exact amount of the computer. Therefore the person expects to receive change. After all, they did pay for more than the computer is worth, so I have to give them the leftover balance. So why am I talking about change? Today I want to discuss change that comes from knowing Jesus.
Suppose there are two men who are exactly the same. One man lives a normal life, just as many do in this world. Now say that the other man gets into a car crash and loses a leg. His life is now changed, even though otherwise he is exactly the same as the first man. However, because of this one life incident, he can no longer have a normal life as the first man did. He can't jump, run, or play soccer, and he has to live in a wheel chair. This man now has to live a changed life.
When we meet Jesus, our life isn't supposed to be the same. Imagine that if at the technology store I refused to give a customer their change. That would be ridiculous and I would probably get fired. Or imagine that if the man that lost his leg expects to live a life that is completely the same as everyone else. That would be a ridiculous proposition, because this man can no longer do tasks that normal people can do. Just the same, God doesn't expect us to be the same as other people, our encounter with Jesus is supposed to change us. Jesus paid for us with His life, and He expects that we reflect His life.
Why can people "meet" Jesus and still not be changed? This is a great question which I heard the answer to in a message on the radio. The answer is in the form of a story. Jesus is preoccupied in a city, with people surrounding Him and asking Him for His help. He then stops, and asks "who touched my garments"? The disciples are confused, because there are many people who are touching Jesus in the crowd they are in. A woman reveals that she touched Jesus because she wanted to be healed.
There were many people who encountered and touched Jesus that day, but not all of them were changed. In fact, only one of them was changed; the woman. She had a hemorrhage for twelve years, and had went to every doctor to try to resolve her problem. None of the doctors were able to fix her, and she ran out of options for healing. When she no longer could expect help from people, she looked to Jesus for her help. As she touched Jesus cloak, she was healed from her hemorrhage and could life a changed life.
So what was different about the woman compared to the crowd? The woman touched the edge of Jesus' cloak. What does that mean? This means that she must have been low to the ground, implying that she was humble before Jesus. As I said before, she had ran out of options for healing. The only person she could put her hope in was Jesus. The crowd was not as desperate and as humble as this woman was. She understood that she could be changed by Jesus and Jesus alone. She no longer had any faith in anything else. We too must humble ourselves and place our complete faith in Jesus. We can't expect to be changed if we are still relying on ourselves or on any human means. We have to empty ourselves of our pride, get on our knees, and then meet with Jesus- only then can we be changed.
-Smart
My First Job
So today I finally am going to talk about something other than Genesis because the Genesis Academy is over. Some of you know that I got my first job at the start of the summer at the technology store on campus. I really enjoy working there and I have learned a lot about computers and also about how to treat people. So today I thought I would share some things I have learned so far while working at the tech store. (The ones marked with asterisks (*) are mostly only applicable to my specific job.)
Be nice to people. This sounds so incredibly simple and obvious, especially in a retail environment, but it's necessary. Customers feel much more comfortable shopping when you are nice to them, and are more likely to trust your recommendations. The easiest way to be nice is to just smile at people. People will feel happier and more relaxed while they are there. At the end of the day, if you are kind to them, they will enjoy being there and will most likely come back if they need something else.
Try to address concerns before they are made. What I mean by this is that you want to try to cover as much information as possible so people don't have to ask too many questions. For example. when I am describing a computer's warranty, I also try to talk about what the warranty covers. That way, they don't have to ask me what the warranty covers, which is what they will most likely ask anyway. By doing this, you sound more professional and the customer will feel better about their purchase.
Help people choose the right computer*. People are often uninformed about the advantages and disadvantages of different computers, so it's best to ask them what they need the computer for. People often think that buying the most expensive computer is necessary, when often times it is not. I don't try to sell the more expensive computers, I try to help the customer. I judge what the person will use their computer for, then recommend one they would like.
Try to answer more than the question requires. When people ask questions, sometimes they don't quite know what they are asking. This is especially true where I work, because most people do not know as much about computers as I do. So when they ask a question, I try to find out what they are trying to learn, and then tell them what I think it is they are asking me about.
Never say "I don't know". This is a lesson that I had to learn while answering phone calls. The person asked me a question I did not have the answer to, so I said "I don't know the answer to that question". This may seem like a weird thing to not be able to say, but after my manager explained it to me, I understood why. When you say "I don't know" or anything along those lines, you sound unprofessional. Your job is to help the customer in as much as possible, which means if you don't know the answer to a question, you have to find it. What I say now instead is "let me ask my manager", or "let me look that up for you".
Visual is always better than audible. People understand things much better if you show it to them rather than if you tell it to them. One way my coworkers and I use visual aids is by giving every customer that walks in a price sheet. This way they don't have to keep asking us about prices. Another way I use visual aids is by showing customers the computers we have on display. They feel more confident in their choices if they can look at the actual computer.
Learn from other people. In my case, I try to learn how to speak and act by observing my manager when he interacts with others. He does a very good job being professional and kind to customers. I also learn from the customer when they bring up questions I don't know the answer to. If a customer asks me a question I don't know the answer to, 9 times out of 10 I will know the answer next time the question is asked.
These are just a few things I have been learning at my first job. Some are more straight forward than others, but they are all very important where I work. Most of these are applicable in daily life, such as being nice to others and learning from others. I still struggle to do all of these things, but I get better the more I practice. I hope you can learn from these tips I've learned.
-Smart
Be nice to people. This sounds so incredibly simple and obvious, especially in a retail environment, but it's necessary. Customers feel much more comfortable shopping when you are nice to them, and are more likely to trust your recommendations. The easiest way to be nice is to just smile at people. People will feel happier and more relaxed while they are there. At the end of the day, if you are kind to them, they will enjoy being there and will most likely come back if they need something else.
Try to address concerns before they are made. What I mean by this is that you want to try to cover as much information as possible so people don't have to ask too many questions. For example. when I am describing a computer's warranty, I also try to talk about what the warranty covers. That way, they don't have to ask me what the warranty covers, which is what they will most likely ask anyway. By doing this, you sound more professional and the customer will feel better about their purchase.
Help people choose the right computer*. People are often uninformed about the advantages and disadvantages of different computers, so it's best to ask them what they need the computer for. People often think that buying the most expensive computer is necessary, when often times it is not. I don't try to sell the more expensive computers, I try to help the customer. I judge what the person will use their computer for, then recommend one they would like.
Try to answer more than the question requires. When people ask questions, sometimes they don't quite know what they are asking. This is especially true where I work, because most people do not know as much about computers as I do. So when they ask a question, I try to find out what they are trying to learn, and then tell them what I think it is they are asking me about.
Never say "I don't know". This is a lesson that I had to learn while answering phone calls. The person asked me a question I did not have the answer to, so I said "I don't know the answer to that question". This may seem like a weird thing to not be able to say, but after my manager explained it to me, I understood why. When you say "I don't know" or anything along those lines, you sound unprofessional. Your job is to help the customer in as much as possible, which means if you don't know the answer to a question, you have to find it. What I say now instead is "let me ask my manager", or "let me look that up for you".
Visual is always better than audible. People understand things much better if you show it to them rather than if you tell it to them. One way my coworkers and I use visual aids is by giving every customer that walks in a price sheet. This way they don't have to keep asking us about prices. Another way I use visual aids is by showing customers the computers we have on display. They feel more confident in their choices if they can look at the actual computer.
Learn from other people. In my case, I try to learn how to speak and act by observing my manager when he interacts with others. He does a very good job being professional and kind to customers. I also learn from the customer when they bring up questions I don't know the answer to. If a customer asks me a question I don't know the answer to, 9 times out of 10 I will know the answer next time the question is asked.
These are just a few things I have been learning at my first job. Some are more straight forward than others, but they are all very important where I work. Most of these are applicable in daily life, such as being nice to others and learning from others. I still struggle to do all of these things, but I get better the more I practice. I hope you can learn from these tips I've learned.
-Smart
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