All Things?

Last January, I sent off my application to retire from public school teaching and my retirement became final in June. 

Though I no longer wanted to teach in a public school classroom, I still wanted to work. I had my eye on a particular establishment thinking it would be a fun and less stressful environment to work in. Serving wine, beer and appetizers to people who wanted to have a good time, could not be too much of a strain. Besides, I’d been a waitress before and I knew how to be a good server.

 I approached the manager of this establishment a few times before she finally agreed that I’d be a good addition to the business. 

The first night I worked, I was giddy and nervous. I hung back behind the bar getting acquainted with the staff. A few of the faces were familiar and all of them were friendly.

The second night, I went out from behind the counter and shadowed a more experienced waitress. It was easy to exchange pleasantries with customers, but using the iPad to enter my orders was a little awkward. 

The third night, I was assigned a few tables on my own. The manager was available to help when I had a question using the iPad.  

One particular table of customers turned disastrous. Over the course of two hours, they ordered glass after glass of wine, beer and several different appetizers. When it came time for me to settle their bill, I’d lost track of who’d ordered what. But, with great patience, together we figured it out. But. I forgot to have the one who paid the bill, sign the bill. 

When the manager was clearing the register that night, she noticed that the bill from my table of customers had not been fully processed. Whoops!

I phoned the man, and he came back into the establishment to clear the mishap, but the next evening, when I went to work, the manager asked if she could have a word with me. She told me that I hadn’t made the cut. I was not fast enough or efficient enough on the iPad. Ouch!

                                God Knows Us Far Better Than We Do

Who gets fired from a waitress job? Though it had never happened to me before, it happened. 

So much for what I thought I’d be good at…Now what? I wondered. 

Because I believe God is a relational being, I believe he is also interested in the details of my life. God pays attention to my defeats, frustrations and failures. Then he offers me success. 

The thought, “How about exploring the idea your sister mentioned?” came to mind.

She’d mentioned that I was already teaching one yoga class, at the health club, why not teach more? I was already a swimmer, why not teach swimming lessons? 

 Motivated to succeed, I spoke with my supervisor at the health club and she gave me two more yoga classes, as well as some private and group swim lessons to teach. 

If you could magically eliminate any chance of failure in your future, would you? I would not and here’s why. 

My failures teach me what success cannot. God uses my defeats, vain attempts, and lack of success to weave qualities into my life that may not otherwise get woven into the fabric of my soul; humility, unpretentiousness, God reliance, peacefulness and trusting the One who knows better than me. 

Why Bother?  

Why bother benefiting from failures? There are those cute and clever sayings such as; “every cloud has a silver lining,” or “when you’ve been given lemons make lemonade.” But I prefer to remember an unfailing promise from God; “to those who love God, who are called according to his plan, everything that happens fits into a pattern for good.”