Back in 2010, I found it necessary to get a paying job
outside the home. Due to the economic
collapse in 2008, the company David works for had massive lay offs. He managed to survive the layoffs, but had
taken a thirty percent cut in pay. In
2006 we had finished building a new home.
There were some odd things that took place with the builder and it left
things financially challenging for us even before the cut in his pay. I had been the manager for 45 vendors at our
local farmers market during the summer of 2009, but circumstances caused me to want to look for employment
elsewhere. A friend of mine told me
about a part-time job so I checked into it.
I passed the tests that were required and ended up getting the job.
At the time, I was having some extreme physical issues that
would cause me to be very tired. I also
didn’t realize that I was a tactile learner then. Being a tactile learner means that I learn by
going through the processes. To sit and
listen for hours on end is very challenging for me. It’s actually better for me if you just throw
me in the thick of things. I may be in
over my head at first, but once I get it, I rise to the top and do extremely
well. I just know that’s how I function.
It’s how I was created. Looking back to my elementary school days, I
remember having issues with this. But,
in the early 70’s they taught one way and you learned one way.
So, the training process was a bit challenging for me, but I
really liked what I was doing, so I stuck with it. I would even tell my friends about the place
when they were hiring. The hours were
good. We’d usually work only 6 hours a
week and the pay was pretty good considering it was part time.
When we were learning new things, I would raise my hand if I had questions, like the others did, but my questions would rarely ever get answered. I didn’t understand this. My boss would look right at me and then ignore me. This was challenging. Also, the hours would change weekly. Sometimes we wouldn’t know until the day before that we would need to be at work. They would call to let us know and then we would have to call to confirm if we found out via voice mail. Often, I would call the office and no one would answer the phone. This was frustrating for me because I was doing my best to follow their instructions.
One day I addressed the phone issue with my boss after they
embarrassed me in front of the entire team of people that we worked with. They did not like this. In fact, they didn’t like it so much that
they called me into the office to “straighten me out.” I prayed silently as I awaited the boss’
presence. I knew that I had done nothing
wrong and I didn’t like getting pushed around and ignored. I just wanted peace whatever the cost. I had decided that I had been there for a few
years and this treatment hadn’t stopped.
It was no longer worth the frustration that it was now causing. I made up my mind that I would stand up for
myself kindly, politely and respectfully when the boss came in and I didn’t
care if they fired me. It was all or
nothing.
So, the boss came in and began raking me over the
coals. This person was bullying me and I
went toe to toe with them. During this
conversation, I found out that they didn’t think that I even liked my job. I explained to them just how wrong they were
about me and how I always share with people the job openings and tell others
how much I like the job. I wouldn’t have
stayed, if I didn’t like it. The job itself
was fun and interesting. Now…they seemed
shocked. And then, this person began to
just talk and ramble on…speaking out the truth of the situation which, through
this process, they actually revealed aloud that I had done nothing wrong. They had judged me wrongly. Then came the “deer in the headlight” look. This person then apologized to me and brought
in another person and they also apologized to me. We all talked for a moment and then they
realized that they had been wrong about me for more than two years.
You see they had chosen to see me for something that I
wasn’t…for whatever reason. They made
that decision and held it against me without taking the time to get to know who
I really was. They apparently didn’t
understand that in spite of my extreme physical issues at the time, I was
there, pushing through the discomfort and still managed to do my job well. And, in spite of the challenges to learn the
way things were taught, I still learned and succeeded. This was their issue, not mine. They saw their error, humbled themselves,
apologized, and all was well.
I still work at this place.
I still enjoy working there and enjoy the many people who work there…nearly
7 years now.
The person who I had gone “toe to toe” with recently left
our NW Arkansas location to open a location elsewhere. Before they left, they approached me and we
had a wonderful conversation. All is
well because of the mature way that this was handled after they found out the
truth of who I truly was. They had
believed the lies the enemy was whispering in their ears and I was the
victim. But, God found it necessary to
vindicate me. I trusted Him. I put Him
in charge and followed the leading of the Holy Spirit.
If I wasn’t a Christian, I wouldn’t have any understanding
of what was happening in this situation.
But since I am, I get it. You
see, it’s not flesh and blood that we strive with. Ephesians
6:12 It’s the enemy. In the words of Jesus; “The thief comes only to steal
and kill and destroy, I have come that they may have life and have it
abundantly.” John 10:10 I put this situation in God’s hands knowing
that I didn’t do anything wrong. Even If
I had lost my job, I still knew that I had done nothing wrong. Fortunately, my boss saw for themselves that
I had done nothing wrong and they had held this against me for more than two
years. I’m grateful that I stood my
ground in this situation.
God has called us to love others. 1
Corinthians 13 Often loving others means that we walk away
silently, even when we know that we’ve done nothing wrong. But, love is not a door mat. Matthew
21:12-13, John
2:13-17 Love has safe
boundaries. Love is not a push
over. With that said, like in this situation,
there’s nothing wrong with standing our ground.
I put the situation in God’s hands and He took care of it and brought
the truth into the light.
We could call this situation a “holy discontent.” I have
experienced many holy discontentments, but just recently learned a name for it.
When Jesus went into His Father’s house and saw them making
it a den of thieves, it caused a holy discontent within Him. It caused anger. There’s nothing wrong with anger as long as
we don’t sin in the process. Human
anger does not bring about the righteousness that God desires. James 1:20 There’s nothing wrong with having a holy
discontent, either. It’s what we choose
to do with it.
Jesus went and made a whip before He went back and drove the
sellers out of the temple. Making a whip
takes time. This situation wasn’t
something that raised anger and just went away quickly. This was something that needed to be dealt
with. Now Jesus never sinned. He was angry and he drove the vendors out of
the temple with a whip!! In this
situation, it wasn’t a sin. He was doing
the work of His Father. John
5:19
Just like Jesus at the temple, we too, may experience a holy
discontent from time to time. We need to
put whatever it is in the hands of our Heavenly Father. He will show us what to do and when the time
is right. For me, two and a half years
into the situation at my job was the right time to do something about it. I put this situation in His hands and He
brought good from it. Romans
8:28 The key is knowing when to stay and
when to walk. And, the only way we will
know is by being led by the Holy Spirit.
He will lead us if we allow Him to do so. Galatians
5:16-18
Dealing with a holy discontentment may take some time and
maybe even more time than we realize at first.
It will most likely make us uncomfortable, as well. Don’t brush it off. Go with it and trust God. Put it in His capable hands and He will work
it out. Don’t take things into your own
hands. That will only cause problems.
Trust God!
