Do I Expect Too Much from Christians?

While Katie is coming up with solutions for world peace, I just want to speak my piece! I work in a CD store. We have these nifty LVS (Listening and Viewing Stations) that allow people to sample music from most any CD in the store. It's a pretty awesome thing and it really is neat! You want to hear the new debut from Jeremy Camp?...scan and listen! (Then buy cause it's great!) or the new double live CD from John Mayer?...scan and listen! (Then buy cause it's great!) How about that new Audioslave? ...scan and listen! (Then buy because it ROCKS! all except for that "Set if Off" song...it rocks, but I would prefer and edited version. Why do some bands ruin an album for me because they include one or two objectionable words? Would the quality of the recording suffer if they just left them out? In the case of Eminem it would because there would be no lyrics at all! )

Sorry, I digress...the original point of this blog was to answer the question "Do I expect too much from Christians?" What got me wondering is that the wonderful LVS machines in our store have caused a bit of a problem for store organization. Everything is alphabetized. When a person removes a CD from it's proper place to sample it at the LVS it does not make it back to its proper place. To attempt to come up with a solution, we made "sample pockets". Those pockets are directly below the LVS machines and are marked "Put Sampled CD's Here". Some people use them appropriately, others act as if they don't notice them. Cds are ending up everywhere throughout the store.

I sell mostly urban music, so the rap section is the most travelled and the most used. There are rap CDs everywhere and it is so difficult to stay on top of keeping the sections alphabetized and organized. It is very distressing. Then, I notice another section that gets pretty messed up. It is the gospel and contemporary Christian music section. This irritates me in some ways moreso than the rap section being all messed up. I thought Christians were to be respectful. I don't ask people to put the CDs away...I ask them to drop them in the pocket where they already are! Then I am wonder if I should even expect more from a Christian?

Does God expect more from a believer?

Christians are sinners, but we are striving to serve Him. Are we serving Him the best way possible when we aren't respectful of things, and of others, in even the smallest of ways? I get irritated when people that I am waiting on are using their cell phone and still expecting me to find the CD they are looking for. I am there to help people find what they want and to suggest other things, but I am not there to shop for them. This is a rude behavior and as Christians we should be aware of it and how it effects those around us. Should Christians care about rude behavior? Should I be more bothered by the fact that a Christian didn't say "thank you" when I help them pick up their dropped books, then I would be a non-Christian? Do I hold Christians to a higher standard? Should I hold Christians to a higher standard? Do I hold myself to a higher standard?
Katie posted that Christians should "Love God and love others". Christians should be known by our love. That is a pretty high standard. Does your love show? How? I think love shows in many ways...including through respect and courtesy.

The next time you are at Walmart and decide not to get those refrigerator magnets you picked up a few aisles back, don't just set them anywhere. Give them to an employee or take them up front, or even put them back where you got them. It isn't a great "I have a dream" speech or anything, but it is showing respect in a small way for the work others do. It's humility. Humility is a Christian standard. No? Do I expect too much?