Day 26 - Faith to give every.single.thing to Him as His own.

I gave poor customer service.

I got stubborn about an issue at work. Foolishly stubborn. Someone wanted something from their file, and I promised it to them within the next 3 days. They wanted it immediately. I dug in my heels. It was foolish.

Then I went out to use my lunch hour to try and regain perspective.

Life's been crazy here the last 14 days. We've posted jobs publically for the first time in awhile now, and the response has been incredible. I've had more phone calls, and received more applications than I could ever have imagined tackling before.

That doesn't excuse me though. I just needed to regain my perspective on the entire situation so that one thing didn't collapse my whole house of cards.

I ran my errands, then I ended up just sitting in my car... thinking. Ultimately, I ended up praying.

God I don't know why these people hired me. The job is always overwhelming as it is without adding all this to it. But I know beyond a doubt that customer service is important to me, and what I did today wasn't appropriate. Service is the key word here Lord, I failed to serve. And more than anything, I want You to be glorified by my work here. I might not necessarily do the best job that a person could expect, but Lord, with Your help I can glorify You with an attitude of service towards those around me. This job is Yours Lord, because they never would have hired just me. Help me to go back in there and do this right.

I went back inside, called the person and admitted I'd just been stubborn and apologized. She graciously accepted my apology.
In that 45 minute lunch break, I'd received 26 voice mails.
I took care of those, gaining 10 new ones during the time it took to finish them.
I received 3 more projects that needed to be completed immediately.
Upon completing them, I was able to begin the project that was the last thing I needed to do before I could get to work on my actual work.
It was 4:30pm, 30 minutes till time to leave and somehow, someway, I had completed those different tasks and was able to start on my actual work.

If you had asked me, all week long, if there was any way that I'd get to my regular work that day, I would have laughed. It'd have been a frustrated and slightly crazed laugh maybe, but I'd have laughed. It's impossible.

But here's what I know.

When you give something to God - He owns it.

He doesn't shirk a duty that you shove His way. He doesn't leave you high and dry while He wonders how you're going to deal.

I mentioned the fact to one of the ladies that work here, and she told me the story of her daughter who is struggling in her marriage. Her motherly advice to her daughter had been: "Get on your knees, both of you, tell it all to God - good and bad alike - and ask Him to help. Don't think that you're just fighting for a marriage yourself."

So let me tell you, based on my own failures - Whatever it is you're doing. Whatever it is you're struggling with. Whatever ministry, endeavor, job, marriage, financial crisis, relationship, or child that you're desperately struggling with: Give it to God.

He'll take it. When you give it to Him He can work wonders where impossibilities only lay ahead. Trust in the fact that He never fails. And He will accomplish the work that He has begun.
He didn't put you in that marriage to fail.
He didn't put you in that job to fail.
He didn't give you that child so you could fail as a parent.
He didn't send you that broken person so you could fail as a missionary.

But so often we get caught up trying to accomplish things in our own power and our own abilities. We can't accomplish His work. We really can't. Not like that. WITH GOD all things are possible. I can do all things THROUGH CHRIST which strengthens me.

God has made it clear that impossibilities were a non-issue. But He also made it very clear that it wasn't the great and powerful Jeanette, or Joe, or Sue, that made it possible.

Whatever it is, really, whatever it is, sit down right this minute and just give it to God.
Don't keep it.
Give it. N O W.
And He'll make a way where there isn't even a glimmer of a way.

A wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord,
He taketh my burden away,
He holdeth me up and I shall not be moved,
He giveth me strength as my day.