Mar. 17, 2022

How May I Help You?

Fred Rogers once said, “When I was a young boy and would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”

I have worked customer service-type jobs for my entire life. For some people, I suppose that sounds like I’m a glutton for punishment, but not to me. I love that type of work, but it didn’t always come naturally. My first job was working as a cashier in a local grocery store when I was sixteen years old. And being an energetic teenage girl (I was also a cheerleader), I was a bit of a chatty-Cathy. I talked to everyone: coworkers, other department workers, friends and family members who would stop in. In fact, the only people I didn’t really talk to were my customers. I would greet them and say thank you when handing them their change and receipt but, in between, nothing.

When I had my first performance review at the end of my probationary period, it was all good. I was fast, accurate, helpful and…a social butterfly. I laughed at that. I had always been a talker, but then my manager pointed out something that I had never considered. She gently said, “Some of the older folks who come in on the bus from the senior centers, that weekly trip to the grocery store may be their only outing all week. And you may be the only person they interact with outside of the nursing home. If you ignore them, it may be a whole week before they get to interact with another person again. How do you think that makes them feel?” Oof! It took the wind right out of me. I couldn’t imagine only seeing one person in a week and then to have them ignore me and know I may not get to talk to someone for another week! That thought broke my heart, and it changed me.

I began greeting every customer by asking them how they were, was there anything special I could do for them. I would engage with them, make small talk, ask random questions if something presented itself, compliment them on something. It shifted everything about my work from being just a means for a paycheck, to a way for me to serve people. I found my servant heart, and a joy that comes from helping others. And I have spent the past 35 years looking for ways to serve people.

When Jesus humbled himself and washed the disciples’ feet, He was showing us the simplest way to show love to each other. Our society is so much about “me first,” that we have lost sight of the joy that comes from connecting to another human being through service. When we humble ourselves and ask someone, “How may I help you? How can I serve you? What can I do for you?”, we connect to a deeper part of our soul. We honor them as being worthy of our service and find our own worth and purpose at the same time. In Matthew 25:40, Jesus says, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” That is what we are called to do. That is how we show the love of God to the world.

I think I would add to Mr. Rogers’ mother’s advice to not just look for the helpers but to be a helper. There are so many scary things in the world. The only way to fight that is by showing love to each other through common kindness and service. There are opportunities everywhere, every day. We all have something to offer, and we can all use the help. Be brave. Be kind.