God gave me strength to face my adversaries

A couple of months after resigning my previous job as a financial planner, I started to work at my relative’s restaurant as a waiter. It was not an office job but I was grateful to God and my relative for suggesting me to help him. After all, I needed the money for my living expenses.

It was all going well until one day, my ex boss and some of my ex colleagues came to patronize the restaurant that I was working in. I grasped when I saw them. One of the reason why I resigned from my previous job was I could not get along well with my ex boss style of management. It was not a very amicable departure from my previous job.

I head back into the kitchen. I do not feel good to meet my ex boss again and I started to ask God, “God, why is this happening? It will be so awkward for me to serve him.” At that instance, I could feel the presence of God surrounding me. At the same time, there was a sense of supernatural peace welling up in my heart. The following verse came into my mind as if God was teaching me.

Philippians 2:13-15, “for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,”

With the renewed strength, I went out to greet my ex boss and my ex colleagues and serve them. And I make sure I do a good job with a smile on my face. I did it with joy in my heart. However I did not expect what was about to come at me.

While I was serving tea, my ex boss said to me, “I observed you and you are so fast and hardworking in our new job. I think if you had adopted the same attitude working for me as you are right now, you would not have landed into this state.”

I was shocked momentarily. He made the statement purposefully with the full awareness of everyone sitting at the table. Looking back, it was truly amazing how I could keep my cool and continue to serve them with a genuine smile on my face. The peace of God in me and His presence was so strong. True strength comes when adversity hits. I had to do what I was paid for and the peace of God shielded me from the shame.

After my ex boss and ex colleagues left, I did not complain or dwell on the unnecessary hurtful remarks made on me. Instead, I just had this compassion to pray for them to know Jesus one day and start developing a relationship with God. Praise God. God was teaching me to look at things through His eyes. Who knows all of them who have witnessed the event might start thinking why I could respond in this manner despite the deliberate shame my ex boss tried to put on me; and hopefully they will realize it was because of Jesus.

Anonymous