The Cold-caller

The Cold-Caller

If you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking the law.

James 2:9

I absentmindedly answered the cell phone as I stirred dinner in the frying pan, forgetting to look to see who was calling before I picked up. As the unfamiliar woman’s voice asked if I would please consider spending a few minutes taking a survey, I sighed inwardly at my mistake in answering in the first place. Ugh. I hate cold calls, especially political ones during primary season, I thought before reluctantly agreeing.

As we worked our way through the survey questions, I found myself starting to snicker at the obvious attempts to manipulate my answer. Politics have me feeling weary and jaded, and sometimes I’d cry if I didn’t laugh. And these silly questions deserved a laugh.

I stopped her, apologized for laughing, and explained that I found the questions so ridiculous that they were funny, before breaking into another giggle. She paused before laughingly agreeing with me. We spent a few moments talking about how her company is hired to conduct the survey without any knowledge of who hired them, and how hard it sometimes is to be the neutral messenger, especially when the survey is political in nature.

As I finished the survey, she warmly thanked me for being a good sport and for being so nice to work with. Hanging up, I felt a twinge of regret for the times I’ve been frustrated with the poor soul on the other end of a cold call. Cold-calling is a difficult job, and while I don’t have to do exactly what the caller wants me to, I can decline in a way that is considerate and polite. If I pick and choose whom I treat with kindness, then I’m committing a sin. We are not to favor some over others—we are to be nondiscriminatory and treat everyone equally, even the cold-caller at dinner time.

—Julie

— Today’s Act of Kindness —

Does the way you treat cold-callers reflect Christ’s love? Decide now to respond with love and kindness the next time you receive one of these calls.