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“Don’t be glad when your enemies meet disaster, and don’t rejoice when they stumble.” Proverbs 24:17 (GNT)
The corporate office of a national retailer sent me to a local store to complete the sale for an outstanding order. I’ll spare you the details, but let’s just say; a 5-day ship date had long since passed on an in-stock item. Since they were now unable to guarantee an on-time delivery, this was their solution to make it right. Corporate assured me the local supervisor, Kathleen, would have my purchase ready and waiting.
Finally! This ongoing problem would be resolved quickly!
I entered the store and approached the counter, thrilled to see seven employees (four women and three men) and only one other customer. I gave the greeter my name, and told her Kathleen was expecting me. She walked right past Kathleen (her name tag visible to me at less than five feet away) toward another woman, whom I later discovered was the store manager and Kathleen’s boss. I watched in disbelief as all four women huddled together with sideways glances in a whispered conference. The smiling, young lady returned to inform me, “It will be a few minutes before someone can help you.” The store was all but deserted so she was kidding, right? Wrong. A few minutes turned into ten as the women watched my growing impatience with marked indifference.
Ladies, start your engines! It seemed the well-intended exception made by corporate had ruffled a few local feathers.
These women had turned cool in a showdown of control. I could have been slim or full-figured, stunning or drab. Appearance was irrelevant. This had become a competition of sorts – a cat fight without the claws. Yep, another example of women as our own worst enemy.
Men may scoff while reading this, but us girls know it’s true.
Often women are our own worst enemy as we vie for attention or control. It’s not the first or the last time I will be faced with the competitive nature and ensuing bullying by my own gender. Author, Susan Shapiro Barash, explains female competitiveness like this: “Our definition of ourselves is bound up in our perception of other women. We see ourselves through comparisons with our mother, our sisters, our friends, and our colleagues. So first we envy the powerful women we see in the media, and then we symbolically triumph over them as they crash and burn.” Who needs the media? We strive to triumph over females in our own backyard!
Sadly, I’ve sometimes been the girl to pull out the claws and for that I’m not proud. But after my recent encounter, I walked away with a new found appreciation for women who stick together and unselfishly help others. As I mentally vowed to acknowledge and honor them for their steadfast graciousness, I yearn to be like them by controlling my combative nature as I welcome other women into my life.
We aren’t forced to be rivals. We can choose to be friends.
As mothers and sisters, friends and colleagues, we have unique opportunities to model God’s compassion to our sisters in Christ.
