By Xiaoyi
In the autumn of 2016, Xiaojie came to work in a cosmetic chain store selling skin care products. The store leader told her: In order to maintain the image of our store, there must be three articles of each kind of product on the shelves. Since there are many kinds of products, this work needs to be done every day. Besides, it’s a rule in our store that anyone who holds a membership card can receive free services, such as plucking eyebrows, applying makeup, etc. Xiaojie kept the store leader’s words in mind, and did things according to them at work.
However, every time there came a customer asking for makeup or eyebrow plucking, Xiaojie’s colleagues either went to the washroom, or to the tea room, leaving the customer to her service. At first, she thought: I’m a believer in God. I must act in accordance with God’s requirements, being a person with a conscience. No matter what things I do, I ought to do them with my feet firmly on the ground. Therefore, as long as it’s the need of the customers, I should serve them kindly. But slowly, Xiaojie knew that she was paid largely based on her performance figures, that was to say, the more products she sold, the higher salary she would get. As for doing such things like plucking the customers’ eyebrows or doing their make-up, it was unrewarding. No wonder her colleagues all avoided doing them. What made Xiaojie angrier was that they even laughed at her behind her back, saying: “How stupid she is to do such unpaid work that hard!” Hearing these scornful words, Xiaojie felt very sad and thought to herself: Well, I receive no thanks for my efforts. You see me easy to bully? Next time when someone comes to do her make-up, I will ignore it. Just wait and see how the store leader will rebuke you. However, at the same time she felt acting in this way was not in line with God’s will. But the thought of her colleagues’ behavior put her in great suffering. … She could only pray to God. After the prayer, she thought of one passage of God’s words: “God is always in the hearts of those who genuinely believe in God and they always carry within them a God-revering heart, a God-loving heart. Those who believe in God should do things with a cautious and prudent heart, and all they do should be in accordance with God’s requirements and be able to satisfy the heart of God. They should not be headstrong, doing whatever they please; that does not befit saintly propriety” (“A Warning to Those Who Do Not Practice the Truth”). God’s words were reminding and exhorting Xiaojie. They made her understand: God requires us to conduct ourselves and do things in accordance with His words; we should be tolerant of and patient with others, not rendering evil for evil, and should live out the likeness of a Christian in our daily lives. But how about me? Just because my colleagues laughed at me, I dislike them, and even want to take my frustrations out on my work willfully. I have been corrupted by Satan to the point that I am irrational, too selfish and base. After understanding God’s will, Xiaojie felt much better. And when she did the make-up for the customers again, she felt much calm within.
Later on, what distressed Xiaojie was that her colleagues even often stole her customers. One day, Xiaojie introduced products to a customer. When she was nearly closing the deal, an old member came asking for makeup, and then her colleague Xiaoli called her to do the service. Just as Xiaojie turned to do the make-up for the member, Xiaoli snatched at the opportunity and closed the deal. Things like that had happened a few times, and Xiaojie would really like to reason with her colleagues. She thought: With all my customers stolen by you, isn’t all my work in vain? What makes you bully me? We all work here; how can you treat me like this? The more she thought, the angrier she became. “I must show you what I’m made of, or else you think I’m easy to bully. I’ll report this matter to the store leader, so that the leader would teach you a lesson. It would be best if you are punished to tidy the counter to the extent that you have no chance to receive an order. … Finally, she sidled before the store leader. Seeing her being very busy working on the computer, Xiaojie swallowed the words on the tip of her tongue. But thinking of her colleagues’ manner of treating her, she felt unable to bear it any longer. In the midst of suffering, all she could do was come before God and pray to Him: “God, my colleagues always steal my customers. I feel very sad about it, like being bullied. I want to revenge myself on them by reporting them to the store leader. God, I can’t let go of the prejudices against them. Please help me, and lead me to understand Your will and practice according to Your words.”
At night, Xiaojie saw a passage of God’s words: “In God’s eyes, people are like the animals in the animal world. They fight with each other, slaughter each other, and have extraordinary interactions with each other. In God’s eyes, they are also like apes, scheming against one another regardless of age or gender” (“Interpretation of the Twenty-first Utterance”). God’s words reveal the substance of corruption of us mankind: After we humans were corrupted by Satan, we have become selfish and self-interested, competing and struggling with each other for personal interest, without any conscience and reason as normal human beings. My thoughts in these days were really detested by God. When I saw my colleagues steal my customers, harming my interests, I wanted to reason with them; when they did such things for many times, I wanted to report them to the store leader, thinking by this means to revenge on them, to let them know that I was not easy to bully. It turns out that I always live by the satanic philosophy of “All lay loads on the willing horse” and “We will not attack unless we are attacked; if we are attacked, we will certainly counterattack.” I am too lacking in humanity and too malicious, without the slightest likeness of a believer of God.
Afterward, Xiaojie saw more of God’s words say: “‘Although I am incompatible with this person’s humanity and personality, when we work together, I remain impartial….’ You may not like this person, but you can still do things according to principle. As such, you have a basic God-fearing heart. If you have a bit more than that, you will be able to help them. When you see they have some faults or weaknesses, even if they have offended you or affronted you, or harmed your interests, you can still help them. This would be even better; this would mean that you are a person who possesses humanity, the reality of truth, and a God-fearing heart” (“The Five Conditions People Have Before They Enter the Right Track of Believing in God”). God’s words made her heart enlightened: God tells us that, in real life, we should treat others and handle things with reverence for Him. Although my colleagues harmed my interests, I should let go of my personal grudges and should be patient with and tolerant of them, help them and coexist normally with them. Only in such way will I be a person with humanity. Think, God treats people with principle. No matter how corrupt we humans are, He still gives us the opportunity to repent and saves us with His great patience. In seeing that God’s disposition is pretty good but she herself was too narrow-minded, Xiaojie resolved to practice according to God’s requirements in the future.
In the following days, no matter whether it was putting products onto the shelves, or doing the make-up for the customers and plucking their eyebrows for free, Xiaojie would put her heart into these things. Meanwhile, she became no longer cold to her colleagues as before, but instead she actively spoke with them, and sometimes helped them with their work so that they could have the time to have meals. Despite being tired sometimes at work, her heart felt relieved and happy. Because she knew what she did was in line with God’s requirements.
One day, after Xiaojie did the make-up for a customer, the latter bought some products and said to the store leader, “I’m an old member of your store. In the past, when I came here asking to do my make-up, none of your clerks was willing to do it for me, and I was really unwilling to come to your store. But since Xiaojie came, I find she has never been impatient at the time of doing my make-up. You really should hire more clerks like her.” Hearing the customer say so, Xiaojie felt very happy. She knew very well that it was totally the effect that God’s words had on her because in nature she was simply incapable of this. Thinking about this, Xiaojie constantly thanked and praised God from her heart.
Thereafter, more and more customers came to buy products from Xiaojie. One time, a customer who came when Xiaojie was absent should leave and return the next day in order to buy skin-care products from her. This matter really moved her, making her taste the joy which came through practicing God’s words. Slowly, her colleagues changed their attitude toward her. They began to care about her. Sometimes when she was too busy to have meals, they would help to buy food for her. The store leader told her to keep daily accounts on the computer, and handed over many things of the store to Xiaojie. Furthermore, she told other clerks that Xiaojie would be in charge when she was away. Much to Xiaojie’s surprise, she was chosen as the “Best Salesperson” among the clerks at the end of the year, with an award of five hundred yuan. She knew well that by seniority it was impossible for her to be rewarded (for she had worked in the store for the shortest time: only more than three months). She also felt it was really meaningful to practice the truth.
Two months later, due to something urgent at home, Xiaojie handed in her resignation to the store leader. The leader gave her a skin-care product set, worth 499 yuan, as a present and told her that she would transfer her monthly salary and year-end bonus into her account. Xiaojie felt a little surprised: According to the rules of the company, only those clerks who have worked for more than half a year can get the year-end bonus. She hadn’t expected that she not only could receive full pay, but also get the bonus. The store leader, holding Xiaojie’s hands, kindly said, “I have been the store leader for four years, having come across many people. You are the one I chose to become the “Best Salesperson” here in the shortest time. When you are absent, many customers come here for you. I really don’t want you to go. I hope you can come back to work.” Xiaojie nodded with a smile.
Within these experiences Xiaojie knew for herself that only God’s words could cleanse and transform man. She also understood how to get along with others in real life. It was owing to the guidance of God’s words that she lived out some likeness of a true person. They made Xiaojie more confident to pursue the truth and to live out soon the likeness of a true person to glorify God.
