Why is it so hard to be nice

So..if any of you have read my blog you know I've been a door-to-door sales girl. I've also done outside sales in various capacities for almost 6 years in some way or another. So... why is it so hard for people to be nice? Now, I'm not talking about the people who have thrown me out of their offices for ignoring the no soliciting signs. They get a free pass on the evil scowls and miserable expressions.

I'm talking about people in general. Lately, I've had to make several appointments with doctors offices. Why can't they be polite? Why is it that I am a total inconvenience to their day? I just have a few questions... I'm in the middle of working on a FREE event that our church is hosting. I've been calling a few churches and non-profits to ask them if it would be okay to send them an email about the FREE event to help suppor their volunteers. Some of them have been quite rude. Well, I don't like email. Can't you send it in the mail. Well, I don't have time to listen to this just fax it. Seriously. Non profits. It's an event about volunteers. It's free. And you don't have 2 seconds to politely refuse the offer or chat. And the poor fast food people are miserable. As well as my new banking assistant. My husband says she's rude b/c achieve just took over her bank. But, she won't smile. She doesn't like my questions. I'm doomed.

But...I've done it. I've been rude. I've been too busy. Too focused. And too "on task". To stop and smile and answer the question. My husband and I heard a song on the (yes, country) radio station yesterday about how we pass people by and are angry about how inconvenienced we are by their idiosyncrasies. How mad we get at other drivers who are driving 20 miles under the speed limit. Or the person wandering aimlessly in front of us in the grocery store blocking our passage. And maybe someone just found out about a death in the family. Or can't read. Or is having a rough day.

So... I'm upset because people aren't always nice to me; but maybe I should be more compassionate about their anger and rudeness. And maybe I should be nicer. Maybe they need Jesus just as much as I do; but don't know how to find him. You know...the things I complain the most about are things that are true about myself.