Part I

Since her husband’s untimely death, Fran has been blessed, with a good job and a good boss. She and Marilyn had a few rough spots at the beginning, but that is all behind them and Marilyn has proven to be a very effective manager. Under her guidance and with her help, Fran has grown considerably in this position and she really enjoys working for Marilyn and learning from her. Even more importantly, Fran has shared her faith with Marilyn and actually led her to saving faith in Jesus Christ. Marilyn’s growth as a new believer has been a bit slow, but it is clear that she has truly had a life-changing conversion. So all in all, Fran is more than pleased with her current situation at work.

Today as she busily writes a proposal for a new client, Marilyn comes into her office and sits down. “Uh oh,” Fran says half teasing, “when you come in and sit down, I know we’re in for something serious. What’s up, Marilyn?”
Marilyn smiles. “Well, I have good news and good news. Which do you want first?”

“Oh, please, the good news first,” Fran laughs.

“The good news is I’ve just been selected as Vice President of Marketing for the entire division,” Marilyn reports, with obvious great pleasure.

“No kidding?!” Fran exclaims. “Marilyn, that is awesome. Congratulations!” And with that she gives her a big hug. Fran is truly happy for Marilyn. It is a promotion very well deserved.

“Well, I’m a bit overwhelmed,” Marilyn says, “but I am excited about the opportunity.”

“You deserve it, Marilyn,” Fran says, “and I couldn’t be happier for you. But wait a minute,” she pauses. “Does this mean you’ll be moving?”

“Well, that’s the other good news, Fran. You won’t have to put up with me as a boss any longer. You’ll have a new boss starting next Monday.”
Fran plops back down in her chair. “Sorry, Marilyn, but that is not good news. You’re the best and you’ve been such a great help to me. What will we do without you?”

“Thanks, Fran, but you’ll do fine. I’m not worried about you one bit,” Marilyn assures her. “In fact, you’re the first person I’ve told, so keep it quiet until I announce it this afternoon.”

“Sure, okay,” Fran agrees. “But who is going to take your job?”

“They’re promoting a guy from the Boston office. His name is Ben Mason. I don’t know him personally, but evidently he’s done well there in sales, and so they’re bringing him here as a manager.”

“You don’t know anything about him?” Fran asks. “How long has he been with the company?”

“I think about five or six years,” Marilyn answers.

“That’s all?” Fran is amazed. “Why didn’t they choose someone with more experience? And why didn’t they choose someone right within our office? There are several here who’ve got more experience than that.”

“Look, Fran, this was all decided before they announced it to me, so I didn’t have an opportunity to put in my two-cents,” Marilyn informs her. “My guess is that this man is a young guy on his way up, and they may have him on a fast track. I admit it’s a little unusual, but wait and see. He must be good or they wouldn’t promote him this quickly.”

Fran and Marilyn discuss the change a bit more, and Fran again expresses her congratulations as well as her regret at losing Marilyn as a boss. “You can be sure I’ll be praying for you, Marilyn,” Fran assures her.

“I really appreciate that, Fran,”
Marilyn says. “Knowing you has really made a difference in my life. I never would have believed that I would be a real Christian—you know what I mean. But thanks to you, I really am. I prayed about this promotion and I think it’s what God wants me to do.”

“Then, you can be sure he’ll be with you every step of the way,” Fran assures her as they part.

For the next few days before Marilyn leaves, everyone talks about the upcoming changes and tries to find out who this Ben Mason guy is and what he’s all about. Seems he is indeed quite young—late twenties—and has done well as an account manager, brought in lots of new business. They conclude he’s on a fast track indeed, and collectively hold their breath to see what kind of a manager he will be.

A big farewell party is quickly planned for Marilyn, and Fran shed some tears as she began to realize that she was losing not only a good manager, but also a good friend. She has found a good church in Boston to recommend to Marilyn and they promise to stay in close touch.
Monday morning arrives, the day for Ben Mason to join the department. Fran talks with Jesus about this change. “Lord,” she prays, “please help me to accept this Ben without any prejudice. I want to be helpful to him. Please be with him in this transition period. I’ve come so to depend on Marilyn in ways I didn’t even realize, and now she’s gone. I need your help, Lord, and I cast all my care on you because I know you care for me.”

After a time of prayer and Bible reading, she begins her day. Upon arriving at work a few minutes early, she meets Louise, her good friend who is also a believer. “Hey, Fran, we’ve got a few minutes. How about praying with me for this change?”

She and Louise pray together every week for the company and their department, so they’ve learned the power of taking every detail to the Lord and trusting him in every aspect of their jobs. “Absolutely,” Fran replies, “come on in my office.”

They shut the door and spend five minutes in prayer together for the changes that are about to take place in their department. “Lord,” Louise prays, “we know how important leadership is in any organization, and we need a leader who is both knowledgeable and honest. We pray Ben Mason will be that kind of leader and that Fran and I will be able to work with him effectively.”

At nine o’clock a meeting of the department is convened and Ben Mason is introduced. “Young?” Fran thinks. “He’s a baby. I wonder if he even shaves yet!” Indeed this new manager looks even younger than he is, and everyone is a bit shocked when they see him.

Ben begins his opening remarks: “Well, I’m glad to be here and look forward to a very successful year. I’ve been looking at your numbers and we’ve got some work to do, don’t we? Seems to me we haven’t secured enough new clients. Maybe some of us are just too contented to rock along the way things are. Well, you’ll see some changes in the next few days, because I think it’s time for a shakeup. We want to be the number one sales office in the company, and I intend to make it happen this year.”

A silence falls over the department like a wet blanket. “Whoa,” Fran thinks, “what an opening shot he has fired.” She goes back to her office with some fear and trepidation, and now a few of her colleagues give her the lifted-brow alarmed look as they pass.

Before she has time to sit down, George walks in. He’s been an account manager for over ten years, and he really knows his business. “Fran, can you believe that guy? What a stupid thing to say on your first day in a new office. Where did they dig him up? He must be connected with somebody somewhere to get this job. Man, life is going to be difficult for us.”

Fran shakes her head. “I know, George,” she says, “I was shocked at what he said. He looks like a child; how old can he be? And how much experience can he have? You’re right; we’re in for some tough days.”
They commiserate together a few minutes longer and George leaves. Fran feels a cloud of discouragement descending upon her. “Lord,” she prays silently, “I don’t like this guy. Lord, what am I going to do? This guy is going to make my life miserable.” She prays a couple of minutes more, but somehow it doesn’t seem to help.

For the rest of that day, she doesn’t see Ben Mason. “You would think he would visit each one of us and at least say hello,” Fran thinks. “This guy needs to go to Management 101; he doesn’t know the first thing about managing.” As she goes home, she lets her mind run wild with imaginations of how awful it is going to be to work for such a young arrogant man. By the time she arrives at home, she feels like the world is on her shoulders.

She does the minimum that needs to be done to get the kids fed, do their homework and get them into bed by 9:00. Then she heads for the telephone to express her feelings to Louise. “Louise, what did you think about Ben Mason? Pretty pitiful, right?”

Louise is quiet. Fran continues. “Did you ever hear such an awful opening message? I mean, it has to break all the rules of being a good manager. Where did they dig this guy up anyway?”

Louise remains quiet. “Louise, are you there?” Fran asks.
“Yes, Fran, but I just don’t think we should be talking about him. . .”
Fran feels the sting of her brief remark and knows she is right. But she’s not there yet. “Well, I’m just telling you how I feel, Louise. I mean, you have to tell someone, don’t you?”

“Yeah, we do need to tell someone, I agree,” Louise says very quietly, “but I don’t think we should be gossiping.”

“Gossiping?” Fran becomes defensive. “I don’t think this is gossip. I’m just reporting on the facts. Oh well, I know you’re busy; don’t want to keep you, Louise. See you in the morning.” And with that abrupt ending, she hangs up the phone.

But her face is glowing red as she does, both from anger and from shame. She is initially angry with Louise for confronting her so forcefully, and ashamed at how she has behaved. She knows all-too-well that this is not the way Jesus would handle the situation.

She steams around the house for half an hour, the two battles going on inside of her. Her old nature wants to get angrier and angrier with Louise for putting her on the spot and calling her hand, and her new nature is urging her to sit down with her Bible and talk to Jesus about it. It’s a fierce battle inside of her, but because she has been feeding that new nature more than the old one, it has been strengthened and eventually, the old one gives up and gives in.

She sits down with her Bible and first begins to pray. But few words come out before the tears start. “Lord, I’m so sorry. How could I behave so badly? How could I?” Fran cries out to the Lord. She is so disappointed in herself. She knows better than to gossip. She knows how wrong it is to have such a rotten attitude. She knows to take all of her concerns to the Lord and not complain to people. She knows all that, and yet she has done just the opposite.

Opening her Bible to Romans 7, she reads again the familiar words of the Apostle Paul which seem to echo her feelings, beginning in verse 21:
“So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

“Wretched, Lord,” Fran sobs, “that’s exactly the way I feel. I want to do your will, yet so easily, so quickly, I go back to my own self-centered way of responding. Please forgive me.” After a time of prayer and assurance that the Lord has indeed forgiven her, Fran thinks about what her next steps should be. “First, I have to apologize to Louise and then to George, too. Then I have to change my attitude toward Ben. He is my manager and no one is in my life by accident.”

She turns to Romans 13 and reads again the passage about those in authority:

“Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves” (verses 1 – 3).

Fran well remembers the teaching on this chapter in her Bible study group, and how it was made clear that we are to respect those in authority over us because authority is God’s idea. So we respect the position, even if the person seems unqualified or incompetent. She prays this passage into her heart, asking God to help her to respect Ben and his authority over her.

Before going to bed, she phones Louise back with a sincere apology, and with many tears, the two of them covenant again to hold each other accountable. “You know, there have been times when you held my feet to the fire, Fran, and now I thank God for it.” That indeed is true, and Fran realizes that God graciously puts people in our lives to both encourage us and to hold us accountable.

The next day at work Fran finds a moment alone with George to apologize for her participation in the bad words about Ben. George looks puzzled, but Fran feels she must make it clear that she was wrong, hopefully without pointing any fingers of blame at George.

But now the challenge begins: She must deal directly with Ben Mason, her new boss, as his assistant has told her that he wants to see her at 2:00 this afternoon. She determines to spend her lunch hour fasting and praying for this meeting.

Part II

It’s Tuesday, one day after Fran and her department have been introduced to their new manager, Ben Mason. He has been transferred in from the Boston office and the first impression in the meeting yesterday was dreadfully bad. To begin with, he is very young and inexperienced to have such a position. And his introductory remarks were abrasive and condescending and intimidating. Everyone in the department came away with a very negative impression and there is a feeling of doom hanging over the entire group now.

Fran made a terrible mistake of entering into the badmouthing and complaining that was prevalent yesterday, and she was sorely rebuked of the Lord for it. She has determined by God’s grace to have a different attitude toward Ben. She knows from scripture that all authority comes from God and she is required to respect his authority, regardless of how she feels about his abilities. And furthermore, she is determined to see him as God sees him.

Ben has asked to meet with Fran at 2:00 this afternoon. It seems he is calling every account rep in one by one for a conference. So, Fran is taking this lunch hour to pray for the meeting. She goes to her car, where she can have some privacy, and begins to pray.

“Lord, there is a part of me that is frightened about my meeting today, but I want to release that fear to you and claim your victory over it. I know that my life is in your hands and Ben does not have control over me; you do. Help me to see Ben the way you see him. Remind me that you love him as much as you love me. And guard my words carefully, Lord. You know how I can talk before I think; please guard my words and give me discernment.”

Fran continues to pray, and then afterward she meditates a few minutes about the situation. Thinking of her own fears, the Lord seems to impress her with this thought: Ben is afraid, too. “Of course,” Fran says to herself, “of course, Ben is afraid. So he’s trying to cover up his fear with this bravado act and this tough attitude.” It’s as though a veil has been lifted from her eyes, and she can see fear written all over Ben.

Then she recognizes that God is answering her prayer. She asked to see Ben the way God sees him, and now she can see beyond his tough act to the fear that is behind it. Several verses come to mind as she thinks about this meeting. Psalm 27:1: “The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life – of whom shall I be afraid?” And again from Psalm 56: “When I am afraid, I will trust in you.
In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?” (verses 3-4).

“Lord,” Fran says, “it’s amazing how your Word always meets my need. Thank you for bringing these verses to my mind.” With that perspective and a calmness in her soul, she goes back into the office ready for whatever this meeting with Ben brings.

At 2:00 she promptly arrives at Ben’s office, only to have to wait fifteen minutes. Another account rep, Laura, is still with him. Finally the door opens and Laura comes out. Fran notices that her face is red as a beet and her body language is angry. She looks at Fran and whispers “Get ready,

Fran; you’re in for a fight.” Fran smiles and tries to shut her mind to Laura’s words, but that gnawing fear climbs back into her mind. Quickly she silently prays, “Lord, help!”

Ben asks her to be seated and proceeds to explain that he is meeting individually with every rep to set new goals and explain what he expects from them. He looks at some reports for a few minutes, and then says, “I see that you have been a sales leader in the office several times, Fran. I guess you think you’re pretty good,” and he looks at her with a sarcastic grin.

“I enjoy the job, Ben, and hopefully I’ve gotten better at it as the years have gone by,” Fran replies, trying to avoid any defensiveness.

“Well, if you ask me, these numbers are pretty anemic for a sales leader. You ought to be doing twice this much business if you’re that good. What’s the matter? Don’t you like going after new business?” Ben asks with an accusatory tone.

Fran is a bit baffled, since she has led the office in new business for several years. What does she say? Another silent emergency prayer goes up, and she finds some words. “Well, obviously, Ben, finding new business is the hardest part of the job. I imagine that you must have been very good at new business, and I am looking forward to learning from you so I can do it better.”

Somehow she manages to say the words with true sincerity, and Fran quietly recognizes that both the words and the attitude came from the Holy Spirit working in her. Ben is somewhat taken back by her response, but he recovers quickly enough.

“You better believe I was good at new business, Fran, and I expect every account rep in this department to be equally good at it. There’s no secret to it, Fran; it’s just hard work and aggressiveness. You have to go after it. Can you do that, Fran?”

Everything in her wants to throw her sales record in Ben’s face and let him know how successful she has been with new business, but something within her checks her spirit, and she knows that is the wrong approach to take. “If you will tell me exactly what you expect, I will certainly do my best to do it, Ben. I can assure you that I want to succeed as much as the next person.”

“Here’s what I expect,” Ben says, and he hands her a piece of paper where he has written how much revenue he expects from her in the next six months. The number is almost double her current quota, and Fran has to catch her breath before she can speak. Both anger and fear begin to grip her heart and mind.

Then she remembers what God showed her about Ben—he is frightened. And she says, “Well, to tell you the truth, Ben, this number is frightening. I’ve been working very hard to reach my current quota, and this almost doubles it, so if you were trying to put fear into me, I guess you have succeeded,” and she looks at him with a faint smile.

“Well, maybe this whole place needs a dose of fear. That’s the new quota and I expect you to meet it,” Ben says, but he is obviously ill at ease and at a loss for words. He dismisses her and that is the end of their first meeting.

In the days ahead, the whole department is demoralized by Ben’s approach. Fran notices that she is praying more now and realizes that one of the good things to come from this new manager is a new realization of her need to pray more. She is determined that God will help her deal with this with a good attitude and a sense of joy, not fear. Her friend, Louise, is a great help, and together they often pray for the office and each other.

After a three-week period, it becomes obvious to Fran that Ben Mason is all bluff with little substance. His knowledge of the industry, the competition, and the art of selling is woefully weak. “How could he rise to such a position?” she wonders over and over. Some of the directions he gives her and others are absurd, yet he insists they be followed. Much precious time is lost jumping through his needless hoops as he tries to micro-manage the entire department.

But through all these difficult days, Fran continues to pray for the ability to see Ben the way God does. And when she is so exasperated that she doesn’t think she can take it another minute, she sees again that Ben is consumed with fear and he covers it up with bravado. Actually, it’s becoming clear to everyone, even those in upper management, that Ben is botching his new assignment, and Ben is the butt of many jokes. Seeing this happen, Fran begins to feel very sorry for him, and determines again not to utter one word in criticism or gossip about him, but only to pray for him.

One day Louise says to Fran, “I just learned that Ben is married to the daughter of the CFO, Fran.”

“No kidding?” Fran replies. “So, there’s the connection.” Now she sees why he has been given this new position, even though he’s not ready or qualified. “He must be scared to death, Louise. Imagine the impact on his life if he fails to do well here.”

Instead of making her angry, this new information gives Fran a better understanding of Ben and how he got the job. In a meeting with him that very day, after reviewing a proposal for a new prospect, she says, “Ben, would you like to go with me for this presentation? I think it would be impressive for the prospect to meet the boss and I’d be glad to have you help me.”

He looks at her briefly then turns his eyes away, obviously nervous. “I. . . I, uh. . . I really don’t think I have time, Fran,” he says, and then looks at her almost like a child, “but thanks for asking me.”

“Is there anything else I can do for you, Ben?” Fran asks, trying to give him some word of encouragement. Somehow he senses her genuine care and he responds quietly, “Well, if you can tell me how to get these numbers up, that would help. Instead of improving, we’ve actually done worse since I got here. I don’t know what’s happening.”

“Ben,” Fran says, “adjusting to a new place is always a challenge. You have to adjust to us and learn about all of us and we have to adjust to a new management style. Don’t be discouraged about the numbers. They’ll improve, I’m sure.”

And before Fran realizes it, Ben is earnestly soliciting her advice. She spends the better part of an hour giving him some help, trying to do so without hurting his pride. She suggests a different approach to the account reps; she suggests some sales award ideas and other motivational things he might do. Finally he says, “I think you could do this job better than me,” and looks at her with a very humble smile.

“Ben, I know you want to do the job right and you want to succeed, but you need all of us on your team,” Fran says. “I just want you to know I’m on your team. I’ve been praying for you since they told me about the management change. And I believe you can succeed here.”

“Praying for me?” Ben is astonished.

“Well, yes,” Fran says, “I believe in prayer and I talk to the Lord about everything in my life. It really makes a difference.”

She leaves the conversation at that point, assuring Ben that she is available to help anytime he likes. He changes his mind and decides to go with her for the presentation on the next day. And with that beginning, there was a change in Ben Mason, as he recognized his own inadequacies and began to truly try to correct the mistakes he had made as the new manager.

I know—it’s just a fictional story and you’re thinking it would never work out that nicely. Maybe not, but you never know what God is up to when you accept difficult people and let him control your attitude and your actions.
The point of this story is that regardless of how that difficult person responds to you, you should always treat them with respect and kindness. Oh, for sure you may have to confront and take a firm stand in some situations, but even that must be done in a loving way and from loving motivations.

Two verses that God come to mind from 1 Corinthians. Chapter 16 verse 14 says, “Do everything in love,” and verse 8 of chapter 13 says, “Love never fails.” What else is guaranteed never to fail? Only love. And more often than not, when we let God love others through us, it not only changes us, but it changes the other person, too.
__________________________________

Mary is again hosting a tour to Israel—trip number 16 on November 11 – 20, 2013 and you are heartily invited to join her, both men and women.
Mary’s latest book is now available, entitled Get Over It: Letting Go and Moving On with God. You can order it on line or by calling our office. Our web address is christianworkingwoman.org and the phone number is 630-462-0552. And remember, you can follow Mary on Facebook and Twitter.