Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: AUTHORITY (04/14/22)
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TITLE: A Boss and The Officer | Previous Challenge Entry
By Laurie Bahlke
04/21/22 -
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streamed along my cheeks. I was trying to outrun work and the stress it caused. I was filled with anxiety and doubt. I recalled how I had stepped up to the boss and told him with firmness, that I would not bill for a service that I didn’t provide and how dare he ask! It was yet another time when I felt that standing up for what was ethically right, could result in my dismissal from the job.
I remember wiping the tears from my eyes as I looked in the rearview mirror and saw the blue lights flashing. I knew they were for me. I slowed my car down and pulled to the side of the road. The officer approached as I rolled down my window. “Do you know why I stopped you?” he asked. “I am sorry officer, but I don’t know what I did.” “You were speeding, almost twenty miles over the limit.” I sighed, “I am so sorry, I didn’t realize.” After I handed him my license and proof of insurance, he told me to stay put and that he would be right back. This, I thought, is perfect. A ticket to top off my day. I lowered my head.
The officer returned to my car, handed back my license, and said, “All looks good. I see your badge. Do you work at the hospital?” “I do,” I said, “And it was a rough day.” He went on, “It looks like you have an hour or so to get home. I’m not leaving you with a ticket but watch your speed. There are a lot of deer out and about and they cross these roads frequently. You are a valuable person and the work you do is needed. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to you." And with that, he turned and left me.
I thought of this all the way home and even now, years later it comes to mind. Two differing authority figures touched my life that day. In one situation, I had to find the courage to stand up for what I ethically knew was right despite the consequences I might face. To bill for a service, not provided was not only fraud but was also the highest level of disrespect for the people I worked with and served. The other authority figure recognized my hurt and my value and provided both a warning and a reminder to slow down and be mindful of the rules provided for the safety of myself and others with whom I shared the road.
As I make a living and travel through this life, I know the Savior who gives me courage, bravery, and the words I need to stand firm through battles where the deceiver works to undermine, deplete, and chase away what is good. The same Savior who is both the author of my days and the authority who provides guidance, value, and the path to a heavenly eternity, works through all things and my trust in this grows daily.
As a follower of Christ, I cannot separate my work life from my spiritual life. I love because He first loved me. I serve because He first served me. I follow and obey because I have seen the power and felt the grace in doing so. A defining presence and authority are not meant to stifle me, instead, it’s in surrendering to His authority that I have seen things made new.
On that night so long ago, and before the officer stopped me, I had almost given in to the belief that I could never change things and that there was no place for someone like me. The deceiver whispered again and again, that to my boss I was seen as being weak, and unable to be productive in the way that was asked. To be “good” in his eyes was a sign of weakness. The officer that night delivered the message I needed to hear; I was valuable, and I was to carry on.
In Acts 5:29, when Peter and the other disciples are questioned about teaching the gospel of Jesus, he responded that their calling was to obey God rather than human beings(NIV). Doing the right thing in all circumstances is what we, as followers of Christ, are called to do. Even when we fall short, the One who requires much also provides much.
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Integrity is not a word we hear much anymore. But with each attempt to act with integrity, we grow more in the "goodness" gift given by our Holy Spirit. To God, we are very precious, "jewels in His crown."
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