Yes indeed-y, I had found a sure-fire way to get out of my job (Whoa, What Did I Get Into?). I mean really, what a perfect excuse – I needed to stay home with Jeffrey for the summer as he still was unable to take care of himself.
As May rolled around I put my plan in motion. I approached my boss and the office manager (who was also the owner’s secretary), and told them I needed to talk with them. We all went upstairs into a quiet room away from listening ears, and I told them basically, Gee, I’m Sorry, But I Need To Quit. I then explained Jeffrey’s situation.
They both stated they certainly understood, but then they started begging me to come back in the fall! I did everything I could to not directly answer the question – yes, I was totally a chicken.
Summertime rolled around, and it was awesome. And, as the school year approached we were doing a little better financially, so we decided that I didn’t need to look for another job right away – hurray!
But then…
One day in the middle of the week I was at the grocery store wandering around doing some leisurely shopping, and all of a sudden – YIKES – it was my ex-boss, and he was heading right towards me!
I quickly looked to the right and left wondering which aisle I could slip down quickly, yet I felt the Spirit nudging me, Not a nice thing to do…
So I continued walking towards him, noticing that he was on his cell phone. Good, maybe he’ll not notice me.
I LOVE the Lord’s sense of humor! Of course right at the moment we were passing each other, he hung up the phone, gave me a little grin and said,
So, I see you didn’t need to come back to work after all this fall. Are you enjoying your time at home?
Oh yes, I gushed, loving it!
I quickly passed by him – all of a sudden really in a hurry to get done with my shopping. (I know, I know – really pathetic.)
However after the following summer, unfortunately the commission structure at Gary’s job had changed again, so now I was going to have to look for another part-time job!
At church I started asking people to pray for us – that I’d be able to find a good part-time job quickly. And again, the Lord was faithful, but not in the way I had been anticipating.
We had just gotten home from a road trip to Seattle to visit family on a Saturday evening, and I didn’t bothered checking phone messages when we got home. The next day a dear friend of mine who I had worked with at the label manufacturing company came up to me at church and said, Did you get my message?
I explained how we’d just gotten home the previous night, and hadn’t checked messages yet.
Then she threw the bombshell of how my ex-boss had been asking about me, and if I might be interested in coming back to work as they’d been shorthanded. Plus, he told her to tell me that “the person I’d been having trouble with” no longer worked there!
I could not believe this was happening! Lord, I can’t go back there – please don’t make me!
What a spoiled brat. Here we were struggling financially, a job was literally thrown in my lap, and I wanted to turn it down!
So yes I went back, but unfortunately my attitude wasn’t very good at first because I just didn’t want to be there… But, of course, the Lord is faithful – even when I’m not – and after a few days I actually really started to enjoy it.
At the end of the first week, my boss started joking with me about whether I would be returning the following week, which gave us both a good laugh.
And then, as I was going to the warehouse to punch-out (yes, we still had time clocks), I happened to pass the owner. He asked me to wait a minute and pulled me to the side.
Linda, are you happy with what you’re making?
After realizing that he was serious, I said, Well, yes…
He then yelled (and I mean yelled) to the bookkeeper who was around the corner, and told him to up my hourly wage another dollar an hour. I was floored and started thanking him profusely.
His reply? No problem, Linda – thank you for coming back.
The God Of All Comfort 