Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: Willingness (02/21/05)
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TITLE: Beneath My Dignity | Previous Challenge Entry
By Kathleen Shelton
02/27/05 -
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I sat glued to my chair in shock and disbelief. Somehow, through the hazy fog, I heard my boss’s words. “With your credentials it won’t be long before you find a job with another company. I’ll be more than happy to write you a letter of recommendation. I hate to lose you, but with all the cut backs, I have no choice. Of course you will be given compensation pay”.
With the newer, fresher talent out in the market, it is not easy for a middle aged woman to find work. How I became to hate the word “overqualified”.
After another disappointing interview, I was trudging the sidewalks in frustration and exasperation when I came upon a hole in the wall of a café. Upon entering a glaring bright red “HELP WANTED” sign flashed. “Apply for this job” commanded an inner voice. I shrugged of the ridiculous and preposterous idea.
For two weeks, the voice nudged me to go back to the small restaurant and put in my application. One night, I finally just blurted out, “But Yahweh, God Almighty—that is beneath my dignity!” “My Son, Yahshua lowered Himself for you” was the unmistakable answer. That night on my knees, I begged and pleaded, and wept “I’m willing to be willing. Help me.”
Of course the next morning I attempted to bargain my way out. “Ok-God here is what I’ll do. I’ll go back there and if that sign is still there, I’ll apply. If not, I will not mention the job.”
My heart sank when I spotted that glaring sign now hanging in the window as I approached the bistro. “I haven’t worked as a waitress since my teenage years” I expressed to the owner. Regardless of all my attempts to sabotage the job, I was hired.
Even though physically demanding and often exhausting, I found myself enjoying my job. One morning I surprised myself humming as I was getting dressed. I had met many different and interesting people and looked forward to my now “regulars”.
One morning as I breezed into the doorway, I noticed a new face and instantly recognized that look of desperation and fear. Gently, I laid my hand upon his and whispered “It’ll be ok. I know; I have been there”. Dumbfounded, he looked up at me. I sat across from him and told him my story. After that day, John became another regular. Several months later, he failed to show up at his normal time. Later that day, he practically danced in and announced, “I have a job! A better job than before and less demanding!”
Of all the other waitresses, my favorite quickly became Ginger, a young teenager who affectionately called me “gram”. One night, a persistent ring of my doorbell awoke me. When I opened the door, a tear streaked Ginger threw herself into my arms. “Gram, don’t preach at me but I’m pregnant and my boyfriend wants me to have an abortion”. I guided her to the couch and wrapped my arms around this child who had become as if one of my own grandchildren. “Honey, I’m not going to lecture you, but listen closely to what I say. You’ve already made one mistake, and like so many of us must now pay the consequences for your actions. The greatest gift of love that you can give this child is life. If you feel as if you are not ready or able to raise him, give him up for adoption. “
Today as I sit across from my husband John, I cannot help but thank and praise Yahweh for the circumstances of my life. “Thank you Father” I silently pray “for showing me that wealth and success in life is not measured by money, but by the fullness of your life and those that you touch.”
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