I love Christian businesses. I love to lend my support to companies whose values match my own. That’s why I was recently disturbed by some news that I heard. It wasn’t the kind of news that makes headlines in the national media. It wasn’t even the kind of news that you hear on your local radio station. It was the kind of news that is spread from one concerned mom to another.
When one of my sons was looking for a job some time back, he had an interview at a particular place. We were very excited for him. He had been trying very hard to get a job, and this was the first place to give him an interview. We knew that this company had a solid reputation for being family-friendly and offered a good Christian environment. Since they were closed on Sunday, we also knew that wouldn’t be an issue, which was a huge relief. Finding places that will hire a teenager who doesn’t work one day of every weekend is tough.
I dropped my son off for the interview and ran an errand. I was gone only a few minutes, but when I returned, he was already waiting on the sidewalk. He said he had been there for some time. By my calculations, the interview must have only taken a few minutes—five at the most. He told me that it went “OK” but that he didn’t think he would be offered a job. When I pressed him, he told me that the interviewer said the company didn’t hire many 15-year-olds because of the time restrictions.
I knew this wasn’t necessarily true. I had talked with someone when I personally picked up the application. That person had seemed excited about the prospect of a 15-year-old homeschooler who could work day shift. I surmised that it must have been something else, but I didn’t press the issue.
Some time later, I heard through the grapevine that this particular Christian establishment only hired people with “certain” personalities. I guessed that my son didn’t fit the profile.
Then, last week, I had a friend who said to me something along the lines of, “You should be glad your son didn’t get hired at XYZ. I’m glad my daughter didn’t apply.” When I asked why, she told me about the experience of another friend’s son who had been hired.
After he was hired, several comments were made to him about his appearance. His appearance had not changed since he was interviewed. No one had told him prior to the start of his position that his appearance was a problem, and the issue was not related to hygiene. Eventually, in a rather non-professional way, this young man was let go without explanation.
The story made me sad for several reasons.
It made me sad because this is a Christian company. It made me sad because my son interviewed with two businesses like this, businesses with Christian reputations, and yet, they didn’t hire him. It made me sad because he eventually got a job, a job where most of the employees smoke, and even the big boss sometimes cusses. It made me sad because a “secular” business was willing to take a chance on my “outside the box” son when the Christian companies wouldn’t.
But the saddest part was when I began to consider that maybe I, as a consumer, have such high expectations that inadvertently I am part of a culture that caused this.
I believe in holding people to standards. I believe in solid foundations. I believe that if we want high performance, we need high expectations. However, I also believe that everyone deserves a chance and that as Christians we are called to love people—even people who look, talk, and act differently from us. If I am perturbed at a business for its hiring practices, shouldn’t I be more so with my own lifestyle choices? How often do I choose to include people in my circle who are different from myself? How often do I judge a person before I really get to know him or her?
If I want people to love me, if I want people to love my sons, if I want businesses and organizations to give us all a fair shot, then I have to be willing to as well.
1 Peter 4:8 says “Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.”
As we take time today to thank God for our blessings, as we look around at our family and friends, I am convicted to ask myself this question. Is there room at my table for those who are different? It’s a question I need to consider more seriously, not just today, but every day. What about you?