Recently, I have been trying to maintain a good attitude in the midst of trials. Once again I am faced with reduced income due to events beyond my control. It has happened before…make that a lot. With the best of intentions, I always aim to keep a good attitude, but usually I fall into the pit of despair and wallow, much like Christian in Pilgrim’s Progress. I start whining and complaining as if the world was coming to an end, but God always makes a way for me. So, this time I had made the decision that I would do what I could do and let God do the rest. It was all going along fine until…
I was basking in my positive attitude and being productive until someone came along and popped my balloon. You see I was doing a temporary online job (one of God’s provisions for me), and I was determined to meet the basic goals I had set and potentially meet the goals for incentive pay. I had a great first week and was feeling good about myself until…
A supervisor informed me that she was locking me out of the system to do some remedial training because I was “having trouble with validity.” I started losing my happy thoughts. In that one moment, I went from striving to reach my goals to wanting to quit…right then. I still had 4 hours to go on my shift, and after some serious mental arguments with myself, I decided to continue to meet my obligations. During that time, I received several feedback comments, all negative. I expected any moment to be thrown out of the system, and I was developing a sour attitude. Finally, I made myself focus on the task in front of me instead of wondering when I was going to get another message. I moved forward, completed the minimum hours, and logged out.
Afterwards, I was reminded that we can always see the good in a situation if we only look for it. What I saw as judgment and failure was actually just an opportunity to improve my skills so that I could do my job more accurately. It took everything I had to see it as an opportunity. I really just wanted to go and pout in the corner. It is my reaction to days like this that really show my real character…sometimes not in the best light. My goal to maintain a good attitude, apparently called for an attitude correction. It’s easy to have a good attitude when everything is going your way, but it is a totally different issue when obstacles present themselves.
When we decide to make the best of every day, be assured there is an enemy that will attempt to defeat you with everything he’s got. “Like roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour,” he will stop at nothing, including using a supervisor’s “teaching moment” to make you lose your patience and sometimes even your faith. But, “we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15, KJV). He knows what we are going through, but “ There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (I Corinthians 10:13).
So, today was another day. I received feedback, but I took it with a slightly better attitude and tried to apply the information given to improve my work. I liked this supervisor’s way of handling things much better, but I wonder if it had more to do with my attitude correction than a change in personnel. Just a thought…