Angelic Customer Service

This summer I have been working in a retail position in order to keep busy and earn money so I can continue going to school. I have never worked in retail before, so it is a new and enlightening experience. I honestly have never had a "real" job before, so I'm moving up in life. But really, I am enjoying it. I am learning lots of useful stuff about working and life and such.
One of the new experiences I have had with this job is just being around so many people - "the public" - for an extended period of time. I don't even know how many different people I encounter throughout the work day, but it's a lot. Really any customer service job will include this experience, but like I said, it's new for me. The only other time I have experienced this is in large public places, such as the airport or a theme park.
I don't get to spend very much time with these people either. I have never met them before, and yet I have to make conversation and provide good service. I would say the average amount of time I will spend with a customer up at the register is two minutes. How much impact can I really have?
At times my pondering mind is overwhelmed with the amount of stories and emotions that enter the store each day. I often wonder if any of these people are believers, and if I would ever know if they were or not. A verse came to mind the other day, from Hebrews 13:1-2, which says, "Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." I believe that this verse applies to all of life, not just in terms of hospitality. Could I have rung up an angel for their electric wine bottle opener at the register? That's a dizzying thought. Whew. But really, people entertained angels and even the Lord Jesus Christ in the Bible and did not know it. So crazy. I always think about angels in large public places, but now I think about it almost every day. This is why the writer of Hebrews says for brotherly love to continue, and for us to show hospitality (love and kindness) to strangers. Jesus commands us to "love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return...be merciful, even as your Father is merciful." (Luke 6:35-36).
Back to the stories and emotions that are a part of every person that comes in to the store each and every day. Usually you know what's going on with your friends and family, because you're closely involved with many parts of their life. You know when they're going through a hard time, and you're there beside them helping them through it. But with the people that you only encounter for two to five minutes, how much can you really help them? You have no idea where they've been, what they're going through, or how they're really feeling that day. But that's just the point. You have no idea. Doesn't that mean we should everyone with the same amount of kindness, no matter how they treat us?
There was a quote I saw on the internet a while back by J. M. Barrie (author of Peter Pan): "Always be a little kinder than necessary." That strikes me as something we should always be reminding ourselves. I don't think you can ever be too kind. That's not humanity's problem. We either think that this person doesn't deserve kindness or we are too busy or important to deal it out. As believers, we should be challenging ourselves to be kinder than we deem necessary, and to continue raising the bar. Romans 11:22 says, "Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, provided you continue in His kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off." May God use His Holy Spirit to work in us the eyes to see the immense love and kindness of Christ towards us, and the hands to transfer that love and kindness to each and every person we encounter in our lives.
I challenge you to be enthusiastic and energetic in your "inconsequential" and "coincidental" relationships, those that you encounter in every day life. Be kinder than necessary; don't brush people off because you believe that you'll never see them again. Be the love and kindness of Christ to all people, whether it's the Mary Kay-caked customer at the register, your annoying younger brother, or the hungover waitress at a run-down diner - or an angel in disguise.