Get out of here! She screamed. Why did you enter my office without permission? Can’t you see that I am busy today? There is no room for you here. Don’t even tell me anything, I know you want something.
You will end up finding a way of convincing me to give you some time. Can’t you see that I am busy? She went on and on. Twenty minutes passed as she ranted and raved away. I was not only shocked but dismayed and surprised at her reaction. My mind raced as I wondered what had gone wrong. What had I done wrong? what had I missed and what had I done or not done? The 20 minutes she spent piercing me with rage was by very many standards more than I anticipated. I had only passed by to say hello and pass on a message that I had been requested to deliver to her by the boss.
Dealing with people is hard. This was one of my line Managers. I could tell that there was piling pressure and loads of baggage on her. She took it all in but was not letting it out. I knew her somewhat well and by that outburst and incident, I could tell it was the pressure. Personal pressure from home as well as the office. Pressure tends to be magnetic. When it starts piling it attracts other pressures in all facets of our lives. So surprisingly they tend to manifest simultaneously.
When she got to work that morning, another version of pressure showed up. She had to fire an errant, disrespectful and arrogant non-performing employee. The outburst was an expression of what she was feeling on the inside. Days after, I was glad that she let it all out. It had to be through me. There are times when all you need is to talk to someone to cool off and download the pressure. Period. For her case, it spewed out in that format. It was clad and donned in a garment of rage! In moments like these, sometimes all we need is someone to listen in and talk to, to let it all out. Does it make us bad or weak? Absolutely not. As a matter of fact, it confirms that we are processing the pressure and have to deal with it.
Have you ever received a shocking response from a person that you cherish and respect not only as a friend but a confidant? This incident was one that was so out of her character. I can tell you it was not a good feeling. Pause and Imagine. The lash out! It is these moments that grow us. They come in different forms and seize us unexpectedly. They grip us in ways that are unfamiliar. They seize us to measure the size of our countenance. Knock us off our balance. Come in; many times unexpectedly. Challenge our balance. Bring with them fear but worst of all doubts. Never a good place to be. How then do we not only adapt and cope but fight back so hard when they show up to send them parking away? The answer is simple. Prayer.
Pray first, and then the rest will follow. Many times when pressures sneak up on us, all we do is begin penning possible logical solutions. We forget that we are the apple of the eye of our savior Jesus Christ. We momentarily forget that he’s got our backs. There is no pressure too big for him to handle. Symbolically, every evening he separated himself and went into prayer. Luke 6:12-13. He knew each and every day would come with its own pressures. He had to prepare himself to confront it head on and solve problematic scenarios.
He was always confronted by the Pharisees. They came with tactical and tough questions with the intent of casting seeds of doubt and hurting his credibility.
As we read from scripture, Jesus Christ was always grounded. He held fort in prayer which affirmed his Choices, Chances and Cherishes of his faith in His father God Almighty. God has all the answers to every problem that brings pressure with it. There is no record that evidences Jesus Christ failing at any problem. He was so profoundly impactful and great at solving and resolving pressures. How do you think he could handle a tax collector- Mathew, Peter and Andrew- Fishermen, Nathaniel- a direct piercing despiser, Thomas a serial doubter, prostitutes and outcasts? All that he was able to transform into humble and impactful humans.
Prayer. Jesus Christ had a mentor and that was God the father. Who is your go to? Is it Jesus Christ or a group of friend’s. Am not saying having friend’s does not matter. It does by all standards, however, who do you put first in your Choices, Chances and Cherishes.
It is easy to interpret that whoever comes first as a choice, in your chances to find answers, is your priority. Not all answers solve problems. Jesus Christ’s answers on the contrary are guaranteed, when we cherish him this confirms that we adore him by definition him being our favorite. Him first and the Kingdom of God sought first means all other things shall be added unto us. Mathew 6:33. This is the undisputed formula for answers that work all the time and every time. Choices, Chances and Cherishes on Jesus Christ are a spectacular investment that comes with his benefits that are a guaranteed, assuring us of His reliability and dependability. Psalms 103:2-5.
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