What makes the difference?

I spent Christmas in Jersey with my bro in law's fam actually, his aunt and cousins and it was a blessing. We were originally suppose to have Christmas at my brother's house but his in laws who often times have go work on the holidays found out they wouldn't be working after all so Christmas day was spent there for him and his fam.

We did go to my bro's house Christmas Eve however, we follow the tradition (to my surprise not everyone does this:)) were we get up or stay up until 12 midnight and open gifts. Back in the day it was mom doing the Santa thing and waking us up to get "the gifts he brought to us". Now being redeemed we don't do Santa LOL so it's simply enjoying that tradition and opening the things the Lord blessed us to be able to purchase/get/give.

Stayed up until 3 in the morning!!! Almost 2 year old niece included and from there went to my sis house in Jersey or Christmas day it was a blessing although a bit away from the norm.

Fast forwarding to why I'd originally thought to post this, yesterday my sis, niece and I were going out for some coffee and I'd asked if she'd go to McDonald's (my sis was driving). Thanksgiving was also spent in Jersey and on the way back to Philly during that time, my sis went to McDonald's and I said to myself, watch this taste better than what I get in Philly and it did. Who knows what made me think of that but I just knew the quality would be better. So yesterday I was like I want to go and get another authentic mcmuffin before I go back home because for whatever the reason it tastes better. The last one I'd brought in Philly was hard as a brick and I was salty because I'd brought it on my way to work so didn't find out until I was sitting at my desk 1/2 an hour away from the McDonald's I'd brought it from. I was tempted to hold it until the next morning and take it back but I know me in my flesh if they gave me a problem I would have been in there going off on folk, can't go off on folk and tell em about Jesus too so I opted to eat what I could and throw the rest away chalk it up to being a loss.

Now I usually check my food because there's always something wrong or someone neglecting to mention they've run out of an ingredient they assume I don't want LOL like the person who sold me a big mac, same McDonald's neglecting to tell me they ran out of special sauce ummm yeah I might want that otherwise I can just by a cheeseburger:).

But this time around, I'm distracted by the cashier fussin out a customer who claimed he'd asked for one thing, she's telling him he did not etc etc etc so I didn't take the time to check out my own food. Whereas service in Jersey service was excellent and fancy that everything was cooked correctly and had all of it's promised ingredients:).

Same thing a few weeks ago by bro and his fam went shopping in Delaware, went to Target brought some popcorn, the best popcorn I ever had in my life and customer service was insane, in a good way.

Now of course this isn't really about popcorn and mcmuffins not even a huge fan of Mickey D's anymore just tend to tolerate it, but it did get me to thinking. What is it bout Philly that makes the residence the way that we are. Short answer sin of course but what is the process that causes one part of the world to produce one way of thinking/being and another a completely different way. And literally having two places right next door present something that's a world apart. This isn't to say I only receive bad customer service and jacked food in Philly LOL but again these situations got me to thinking about this, that McDonald's is more of a true representation of the city whereas the Jersey experience, specific to where I was let me add Williamstown, was reflective of that area, can't say as much about DE because I'm not there enough to comment.

A sis from NY that comes to my church on Sunday's while here for college made the statement that people in Philly are nice. Myself and a long time resident (originally from VA) both commented on the fact that we feel the two to be equal just larger and therefore more of the ignant LOL. Back in the day a friend of mines and myself would go to NY like every other day, just if we wanted something to do and one day we decided to just up and go to the village, taking greyhound and public transportation. Well we got the bus we needed to go up, but on the way home it dawned on us, we came up a one way street so we would need to figure out how to get the bus back. Trying to do so without asking too many people LOL and getting fussed out by the ones we did ask, scolded for approaching strangers not get out of my face nut attitude. I was 21 at the time actually I remember because it was my bday and I wanted to buy some shoes that no body else would have in Philly LOL, to this day can still rock them at 35 and haven't seen another pair, yet also grateful for a change in mentality although I do want to go to NY to buy some shoes now, care less if someone else is rockin em.

Anyway so we're looking like tourists as we're searching for this bus stop and some guy decided to take advantage of that by messing with us as the "big bad Nyer" My friend and I looked at each other, then at him and proceeded to tell him how we are from Philly and we'd do abc xyz to him "YOU DON'T REALLY WANT IT WE PHILLY" LOL. FOOLISH as I think about it today, yet that's the type of boldness that many a Philadelphian rocks that they will dwell on your home turf and proceed to tell you how they're better. Yes NY included. If they're for the city mind you not every residence is a lover of it.

But it brings me back to the question, where does that stem from what is it about this city that makes the residence so hardened? OF course it's not the city itself but the people in it, shaping mindsets making the city as dirty as it is to where that's the most memorable thing to an outsider looking in. Being on the bus having no regard for the elderly as they either play their music on cell phones, cuss loud and crude and will curse you out too if you dare to approach them. Where customer service is truly a lost art and going to the manager only gets the cashier backed up, not correct the situation. Again this isn't a universal issue but prevalent enough to make mention.

And this isn't just a Philly thing I'm sure there are other cities that can say yeah you thought NY was bad spend a few days in "mention city here". So what makes the difference, gave the short answer sin, another short answer Satan seeking to kill, steal, and destroy, I'm a firm believer that he sets up things in different territories and it becomes the specific battle for the ministers in the area to recognize pray about kill via the word of God.

Which makes me ponder, what are we as God's chosen to get at these things? How are our individual places of residence being shaped because we're there, and not us but the Holy Spirit working through us to present the standard, show them the way to life?

Again me pondering:) But feel free to comment below, what's going on in your city, the sin that's specific to where you reside as well as what you see the Lord doing through His folk where you are?