The Firing

My friend was fired. Well, she was told she could resign or be fired and she had two hours to decide.

Great nurse, sweet lady, efficient…no complaints from parents, wonderful work appraisals. Just one person who didn’t think she “fit”, who wanted someone else, who knew the right people who could terminate her. Her immediate supervisor was devastated.

A verse in Jeremiah describes this perfectly, “For their tongues shoot lies like poisoned arrows. They speak friendly words to their neighbors while scheming in their heart to kill them.”

Obviously they didn’t want her killed but they certainly wanted her job killed. Moving her was not an option. They wanted her fired. So she was.

I knew the whole story. To say I was hacked is a gross understatement. Saturday morning early I was working in my garden. Weeds were flying as I reamed out the lady I knew was responsible for this outrage. I was like Nathan pointing his long boney finger at David, “You’re the man who has done this evil thing!” “You’re the woman who has done this evil thing!” I was pronouncing judgement, preaching judgement… I was going through attorneys I knew who would handle her case, picket lines, letters to the editor…I was on a roll.

God tapped on my shoulder, avoiding my elbows, “I can take care of this.”

It’s always very simple, very short and I know it’s Him. I stood up and looked around. “Okay.” It was a silent little garden after that.

My friend came over for coffee the following Wednesday. I knew she went to a local church but I don’t ever assume that equates with a relationship with Jesus. The people involved in her firing go to church too. So?

We took our coffee and sat down. I spoke first, “So, what do you think?”

“Well,” she said, “I’ve gone through every emotion, but bottom line what I’ve arrived at is that God will have the last word.” Took all the air out of me. I get so fired up in my puny little letters to the editor, picket posters on 10 cent poster board, attorneys.... Was God alone sufficient?

Why is that so hard? Why do we agonize over verses like 1 Peter 2:21-23. “For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example and you must follow in His steps. He never sinned nor ever deceived anyone. He did not retaliate when he was insulted nor threaten revenge when He suffered. He left his case in the hands of God who always judges fairly.”

Because they are wrong. And they go to church and sing the songs and bow their heads in prayer and lead little children’s classes and they are wrong….it’s a façade….and we all know it and want to make it right for the one wronged.

And it was humiliating for such a sweet innocent lady. And I’ve never been humiliated like that in front of so many but He has. So while I could comfort with offers of attorneys or picket lines or confrontations with judgment, He could comfort because He has been humiliated, horribly and then they did kill Him… nailed Him to pieces of wood.

She obviously knows the Jesus I know. And you know what that knowledge brought her? Peace. And I had nothing to do with it. She showed up at my house after He gave it to her. Here Little Miss Old, Experienced in the Lord Christian Lady was going to pray this great, powerful, call down the fire of heaven on these awful people prayer with her but God so mercifully intervened! He had done an amazing work in her heart which agreed with His word and there she sat in my living room on my yellow flowery chair, holding her coffee… serene.

That’s not the end of the story. Sometime between that Saturday and Wednesday, I got an email from my charge nurse with a fw from the agency we work for. “Your region needs another nurse badly. Do you know anyone who might be interested in a position?”

Oh….my.

Sometimes when you’ve been a Christian for a long time, you think all this stuff happens so you can be used to minister to others. And sometimes He does that. But often it’s just to knock you off your feet so you’ll remember exactly Who He is.

Big God. Big God.