My wife works part-time a few days a week at a local clothing store during the third shift. Considering the store is closed to customers at this time, store employees can dress casually and the dress code is somewhat lax. My wife typically wears a
t-shirt, jeans and tennis shoes to work. On occasion she wears a Christian t-shirt. Last night she wore the one displayed at the beginning of this blog to work. She remembers also wearing a t-shirt similar to this design to work.Her work environment is very secular and hostile in nature. My wife often complains to me about the horrible music that is played while she is working from a portable radio that someone brings in. The music could be describe as sexist and the offensive language used in the songs goes on and on. If the language that is used in the songs would be used between co-workers, there would probably be a sexual harassment suit filed. My wife tells me that almost every employee cusses and blasphemes God's name, including management. My wife has never said anything to anyone and generally keeps to herself.
After coming off of a break last night, my wife noticed this note written by a co-worker named
Jacob, stuffed into her time card slot. My wife was taken aback by the note and was initially wondering who would write such a note. It's utterly amazing that someone is not offended by harsh language and sexually explicit lyrics, but their offended by a t-shirt with the name of "Jesus Christ" on it. Well, I guess there is something about THAT name! She decided to speak with her manager.My wife expressed her concern to her manager and her manager assured her that if another note was written or if she was harassed in any other way, that he would take further action. So how did they know who wrote the note? Good question! The manager actually recognized the handwriting as that of the employee named Jacob.
My wife came home and told me of the incident and told me that she was "being persecuted for being a Christian". I stepped back for a moment and asked her if she really thought that she was being "persecuted". I suppose, in a sense, she was being harassed a bit, but "persecuted"? Not quite. When I read such books as "Foxe's Book of Martyrs", it's really hard to say that any of us in this country (obviously many are being killed for their faith in Christ...even today) are really being persecuted. Yes, we may get some water thrown on us or verbally abused, but not really anything that would fit the definition of "persecution".
I encouraged my wife and told her to hang in there and continue her work as usual and to not be angry or hold a grudge against Jacob. He's simply blind and lost. Who knows? He may just become a Paul one day!
