Lessons Learned
“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”
Phil 4:19
Phil 4:19
“The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
Exodus 14:14
Exodus 14:14
Have you ever had God reiterate the same message in your life, over, and over, and over again?Well every year, all year long, there are two messages that God continues to deliver to me loud and clear. The first is “I got your back. I will take care of it. Don’t worry about it.” The second is, “Don’t trip. I’ll fight your battles. You just chill.” My translation. God probably doesn’t speak slang.
Here I am again, realizing that God is showing himself to me once again. After having a very bad customer service experience, I wrote a number of emails to the company about my ordeal. It was actually the same email delivered to multiple people. Anyway, as a result, the company decided to return to me the full amount of my $800 deposit (which they didn’t have to do).
About an hour after I received the good news, I had what Oprah calls an “Ah Ha” moment. I realized that the amount they were refunding ($800) was just $55 short of the bill I’d incurred with a plumber due to a leaky sewage pipe in the basement (I know right!) the week before ($855).
So look at God! An unavoidable $855 plumbing bill is covered by a refund received because of someone’s bad manners. Ain’t God good! Won’t he do it!
So what’s the lesson?
1) God’s [ALWAYS] got your back. He will [ALWAYS] take care of it. Don’t [EVER] worry about it.
2) Don’t trip. God will fight your battles. Just be still.
(Contributing Writer: Marlena Patterson)Livin’ It!
“Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.”
Philippians 1:27
One day I called a company to cancel a policy I’d obtained from them less than a month before. When the customer service representative inquired why I was cancelling, I explained that I discovered I already had the same coverage with a different company. Although I answered his question honestly and directly, that wasn’t a satisfactory for him. He began to yell, yes yell, at me that I wasn’t answering his questions and I wasn’t listening to him. But throughout the call, as he spoke over me, I maintained a calm, polite and respectful voice and tone although I was heated!
Eventually, I hung up on the man because he just wasn’t yielding. After waiting a few minutes, I called back hoping to get a different agent. No such luck. Once again, the same man answered the phone pleasantly, I identified myself and the purpose of my call, and he asked, “Is this the same person I was just on the line with?” I answered him, “Yes. I would still like to cancel my policy.” Again, he went on a rant, yelling, and almost cursing insisting that he wasn’t going to cancel my policy, and that I wasn’t listening to him. But still, I remained calm and polite and respectful toward him. At this point I was HOT!
In the midst of his rage, he said the only way the policy could be cancelled is through non-payment. Eureka! That was the answer to the question. When I heard that, I thought, “I’ll just call the bank tomorrow and place a stop payment on the account.” After that there was no reason for me to stay on the phone with him. I said, “Thank you for that information. Enjoy the rest of your evening,” and I hung up again.
Through all of the yelling, and the emotions running high, I didn’t take the bait. I was determined that no matter what he threw at me, I was going to “conduct myself in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.”
Living the Word, is a lot harder than quoting it.
(Contributing Writer: Marlena Patterson)