One of my
responsibilities as a retail manager was the hiring and the firing of
employees. I took both aspects of this
responsibility seriously; I always hired who I thought was the most qualified
and I was quite thorough in my training methods to ensure I had a strong
team. Occasionally, my team would
under-perform, and I would have to figure out who the ‘weak link’ was. If I couldn’t identify any particular
individual, there were times that I would be strongly advised by my superiors
to “fire the whole team” and start over, rather than retrain my existing, loyal
team. But because I was a ‘hands-on’
type of manager, I grew quite close to each of my team members and felt
obligated to do or say what I had to in order to save my team from unemployment,
as if they were my own family. I
remember two specific times that I was given the choice of firing my whole team
or getting fired myself. Even though I
was frustrated by the actions of some on my team, I was able to present strong
arguments against this action both times, and my teams went on to prove my
belief in them, after they were spared termination. These memories came flooding back to me as I
read the Genesis account of Abraham bargaining with God over His decision to
destroy Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18:16-33).
In the
account, we have Abraham, our forefather in faith who loves us so much that he’s
willing to plead our case before God, even at the risk of making God angry! We have an even greater blessing in being
created and loved into being by a God who is kind and merciful. I can imagine Abraham being very frustrated
with the people of Sodom and Gomorrah!
They were clearly messing up and Abraham was sure that even though he
believed God loved those people, they clearly needed to be taught a
lesson! God on the other hand, knew of
Abraham’s faithfulness and love for his people and didn’t want Abraham to be
put in the middle of any of this messiness.
Isn’t this
just like our God who loves us unconditionally, especially during those times
we’ve really messed up! We can only hope
that the people of Sodom and Gomorrah appreciated their saved lives were a
result of Abraham’s intercession and God’s love for his faithful servant.
This story also
reminds me of how important and necessary it is for us to LISTEN! Just as it was important and life-changing
for Abraham and God to listen and really hear what the real message and
concerns were, so it is with us. COVID
mandated listening above all else. We
couldn’t do anything else except to listen to those we lived with, to the programs
and advice we tuned into on social media, as well as the scientists and medical
profession who tried their best to keep us healthy.
“If today you hear his voice, harden not
your hearts” (Psalm
95:8). This psalm keeps me grounded in listening and hearing God’s plan for my
life. I’ve found whether it’s pre-covid,
post-covid or no covid times, God’s voice always comes through loud and
clear! I’ll admit it isn’t always
something I want to hear at the time or even understand it at other times, but
through grace I’m eventually able to get the message!
Summer is here
in full force! Gardens in bloom,
families gathering, parish churches throwing wide their doors, sunsets,
boating, picnics, swimming, are all in full swing. It’s not a time to harden our hearts; rather,
stay tuned to God’s voice to be heard and God’s presence seen all around and
within us!
No comments:
Post a Comment