I used to work as a client relations representative for a nationwide company. Assigned to three sales representatives, I entered orders into the computer system and, from that point on, was the customer-relations contact. Since our clients were businesses, customer dissatisfaction with the product or service could cost our company thousands of dollars. Employee training was given, but was insufficient for acquiring the knowledge needed to readily excel. Time management and recall of details was a major part of the job description and, if a customer or sales rep registered a complaint, the client relations person frequently bore the blame, even if the perceived error wasn’t his or her fault.
It was a stressful work environment! Many employees, unable to make the grade, were let go after a few weeks, months or even years with the company. The shoe usually dropped on Fridays. Often, I would return from lunch to find the door lock’s security codes changed, thus requiring me to knock to gain admittance. Another colleague had fallen—gone, never to be seen again.
During my first four months on the job, I lived with constant fear and anxiety. Often, I felt stress-caused pain in nerve endings across my shoulders and down my arms. My little granddaughter lived next door, and playing with her in the evenings helped alleviate the stress, but it provided only momentary reprieve from the growing anxiety within me. One day, as I was about to leave work, I decided I couldn’t take it anymore. This job was not good for my health! I packed up all my belongings and took them home, just in case I decided not to return the next day.
That night, before bed, my husband and I prayed about the situation, as we had done other nights, and I went to sleep. When I awoke, I decided to give the job one more chance. That morning, when I walked into the office, things were different. I was confident. I was at peace.
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| Lillie, a few years before her death in 2003 |
After recalling Lilllie’s advice, I realized that, even though my negative work environment was still a problem, it was not my main problem. I had thrown away my confidence! Somehow, after prayer and while I slept, God helped me change my attitude and retrieve my confidence.
From then on, things went well for me on the job, that is, until a few months later, when a sales representative who had been difficult to work with reported record end-of-month sales. When my boss asked why I had not processed all those sales, which totaled thousands of dollars, I informed her that the rep had only sent me paperwork for a few sales that month. As she turned and walked away, it was clear I was in danger of losing my job. Immediately, I called my husband and asked him to pray.
Within minutes, I recalled that, just a week earlier, my boss had mentioned to me she had been talking with this same rep at a party and he had informed her that he had recently made a lot of sales. He also told her I was doing a great job. Because I had not received paperwork documenting those sales, I thought his comments were strange. Maybe the paperwork was just delayed, but complimenting me to my boss? That was out of character! The incident raised a cautionary flag in my mind and prompted me to send an e-mail to my three sales reps, listing all sales I had processed that month and urging them to send me, before the monthly deadline, paperwork for sales they wanted credited to their accounts. And I had made sure I kept the email, in case I would ever need it.
Quickly, I forwarded that week-old e-mail to my boss. While I waited for her response, I continued to follow Aunt Lillie’s advice and not throw away my confidence. When my boss finally called me into her office, it was to inform me that my email had prompted her to contact the companies to whom the rep claimed he had made sales and she had learned that most of the reported sales had not occurred. The rep's plan was to report the sales to Accounting and blame me for failure to process the supporting documentation in hopes of getting the commission and making a quick exit out of town, to New York City where his girlfriend had just secured employment. My boss sat at her desk, her face in her hands, totally distraught. Confident, I stood at her side, patting her back, telling her everything would be OK.
Several months later, I resigned my position to move to another state, and my co-workers gave me a surprise going-away party. Although the purpose of the event was to say goodbye, it was also an opportunity for staff members to celebrate the fact that a colleague was actually leaving on his or her own accord. Over the past year, all other employees who had left the company had been dismissed. I’m convinced that, if I had not regained my confidence and protected myself by keeping thorough documentation, I would have been among them.
“So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded” (Hebrews 10:35, KJV).
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