Day 16

 

Telemarketers

 

"...Yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she  gets justice, so that she won't wear me out with her coming!"

 

Luke 18;5 

 

 

I get junk in my mail box. I get junk email or spam on my computer, and I used to get junk phone calls from telemarketers. I have asked for none of this but out of the goodness of their hearts companies shower me with these ads. I don't mind the junk mail and email as much as the telemarketing phone calls. The junk mail you can toss in the garbage unread and the company that sent it will not know that you did it or witness it (unless there is something more hi-tech and sinister going on than I know about). The junk email you can delete without opening it, and that too is impersonal. The telemarketer, though, is a person and it wastes my time and that makes it personal.

 

I say that it is a person though sometimes it's not. The new recordings are of such good quality that it sometimes takes a while before you realize it is a recording. I don't mind hanging up on a recording - it is a machine and doesn't deserve the same sort of respect and dignity a person does. That is my problem. I was brought up to treat people with dignity and respect so I don't want to rudely hang up on them. This is these people's job regardless of what I think of their job. I do know that cynical businesses prey upon the common decency of people to get their phone ads in. This makes me think less than kind thoughts about whatever they are selling.

 

What irritates me the most is when they don't take "no" and "good-bye" for an answer and keep on talking. That is when I consider it fair game to play whatever trick I can come up with on them.

 

On one occasion the telemarketer asked me if they could talk to "whoever was responsible for the phone." I told them that Alexander Graham Bell was responsible for the phone and did not live at my house and was in fact dead. That ended that conversation.

 

On another occasion a publishing company called wanting to sell me a copy of their new book, The Sea. The lady went on and on about how many wonderful color photographs were on each page and what the chapters in the book were. When she finally asked me if I wanted a copy I told her, "no" but she wasn't satisfied. She told me what her favorite chapter was and about the wonderful photographs and finally asked once again if I wanted to buy a copy. I said, No, thank you."

 

She would not give up. She said, "How can you not want a copy, there is a big color photo on every page!"

 

I told her, "That's the problem. I'm blind."

 

There was an audible gasp. She began to apologize, "I'm so sorry, I had no idea."

 

I asked her if they had copies of the book in Braille.

 

Jesus tells a story about prayer and a persistent widow. She goes to an unjust judge time after time seeking justice. The judge, at first, refuses but the widow stays after him. Finally, the judge relents and gives her the justice she deserves. God, of course, is a just judge but we must learn to be persistent in prayer. We could all learn a lesson in persistence from telemarketers and we can all praise the Lord for the "NO CALL" list.

 

Upon Further Review:

 

Read Luke 18:1-8

 

• Is God suggesting we can wear him down?
• How does God respond to our cries for justice?
• What must we do until Jesus comes again?