One part of my life where the bible has impacted me has been at my job. I have been a Certified Surgical Tech for six years. I’m also an employee for a local college as an On-Site Monitor Coordinator. Which means I teach surgical tech students at my job. I also go into the campus on their break time to teach the students that are failing, or those who need a little brushing up on their skills.
I was in a situation at work where my old boss had resigned, and they had hired a new boss. The only thing is that the owners of my job made a big mistake by telling the new boss that she didn’t need to worry because we had Domingo. That I “was very good” and I “knew everything”. After this, the worst times at my job started, not only for me, but also for some of my coworkers. For me, she thought I was the “leader” and she came gunning for me. She started by telling me that I didn’t know anything. That she was in this field for twenty plus years. She would pick on everything I would do. Even when knowing I was right, she would always make it seem like I was wrong.
My co-workers and I would laugh at her behind her back and even though I did it too, it bothered me. She would also say out loud that we were all replaceable. Especially to me. She was taking shots at me. The list kept going, she even embarrassed me in front of the students I would train at work. When we were in employee meetings, she always acted as if she knew it all and we were wrong. My co-workers and I didn’t know what to do. We didn’t know how to handle her. I was beginning to hate my job. Every day I dreaded going to work.
It’s crazy because when she got hired, it was around the time when I started coming to Skyline Church. This was back when I had committed myself to the teardown team that we used to have at the old building, I had joined a life group, and had started to read the bible. All while I was going through this at work. My co-workers knew I had started going to church and always mentioned that they saw a difference in me. Some respected my beliefs while others mocked me. After a year at Skyline, I got baptized and not long after that I was doing growth catalyst with Pastor Chris. I was growing in my faith. I was learning and trying to apply God’s word in my life.
I learned that I am a sinner; I am not perfect; I am saved by the greatest gift of all and that’s by my Father’s grace. That through believing in Jesus Christ I am saved from what I truly deserve and that is hell. See, I started to understand that the issues at work weren’t about me. That this is who she is. She wasn’t going to change how she was. She was dealing with her own problems. I started to understand that I needed to show her grace because that was what Jesus had shown me, and what my Heavenly Father was putting in my heart to do.
Even though she was treating me so bad, I started praying for her. When she complained, I would tell her she was right in what she was saying. I started doing whatever she wanted me to do. I didn’t give her any if, ands, or buts. I started thanking her for everything she did. Even though I didn’t agree with the way she was behaving, I started complimenting her. I would tell her she was super smart and what a hard worker she was. I started to focus on her positives, not her negatives. Plus, I continued to work as I previously had always been working.
I learned in the bible that we are all God’s kids. I learned about David going out and getting the lost sheep. I learned in the bible about the son who took all the inheritance from his dad, left and came back broke. I started learning that I don’t work for humans. I work for my heavenly Father. I started learning the real meaning to those bible verses. Through prayer, joining and serving in a ministry, going on a mission trip with Kelechi Ibeh, going to life group with my brothers in Christ and also, reading and listening to God’s word and acting on what he was telling me to do.
Before doing all of this, I would feel defeated. I had a lot of anxiety. I felt angry. The situation was very depressing. Yet through all of this, I didn’t let my coworkers know how I felt because they leaned on me to encourage them. When I started to put everything together, what I read in the bible, how I was feeling and praying about it, I started to have peace with myself. I didn’t pay any mind to my feelings and if I did, I would just say a quick prayer and he would heal me. It helps me. See, I was being attacked because the Devil knew I was a son of God and that I had surrender my heart to Jesus Christ. Reading the bible was my defense along with prayers, reading other christian books and surrounding myself with my family, church family, and my brothers and sisters in Christ.
Now, me and my boss have a great relationship. We laugh, we joke around, we respect each other. She introduces me to people as her right-hand man. She counts on me to get the work done with no worries. She jokes about how if she were to leave, she would take me with her. She’s still tough to handle at times, but I love my Boss the way she is. I’ve accepted her.
You want to know something? Just recently she took me aside and told me that she was going through something big in her life. She was having some health difficulties and I was able to pray with her and comfort her. By the grace of God, she will survive this health crisis. I don’t know if this health scare is what is making her a nicer person. That’s something she must deal with, but even if she were to go back to her old ways, it would be ok. Sometimes, I also go back to my old ways of thinking too. We’re not perfect, so we all need forgiveness and grace because God gave up his only son Jesus Christ to die on the cross and pay for our sins.
Life can still be a roller coaster because the war is real. I’m sure that following God will at times get me mocked. I know I will have to stand for somethings that others might not like, or lose some friends because I’m changing and growing. I’m not perfect. I just don’t follow the things I used to think of. The good thing is that no matter what: I’m at peace in my soul when I follow God’s principles. When I don’t, my soul feels it and I’m back to feeling depressed and all that other negative stuff that I used to feel.
In the end, what I have learned and will continue growing in is that I know that I’m saved, but the war continues and I know that I’m a part of God’s army. I must go out there and show who Jesus Christ is by:
Showing grace to people.
Becoming a servant of Christ in every situation.
Never acting out of anger.
Loving in every situation I am in.
Being thankful and praising our heavenly father no matter what.
Praying for oneself, but most importantly for others.
The only way you get to know these things is by opening and really reading the bible and putting in into practice in your life.