I am going to try to counter one of my not-so-witty, sarcastic, and not normally so serious blogs with a serious one that will actually help people. The Lord has done a lot for my family in the past four months and I feel I need to 1.) give a testimony of the Lord's goodness and 2.) clear some unknowns up about what has happened recently.
I used to work for US Cellular as a Customer Service Help Desk Representative (Supervisor). I was on a team of about twenty people who helped out Customer Service, took escalated calls from customers, made decisions concerning customers' situations that CS could not do, etc. I was promoted March of 2005 and started with US Cellular July of 2003 (I had been there three years). I really did enjoy my job and was GOOD at it as I had saved customers thousands of dollars (literally), developed several tools that were being used by Customer Service to shorten calls and make them more accurate, among other things. Despite these things, my supervisor began making my life miserable about one month or so before I was dismissed, wanting me to add things to my position that required me to read other peoples' minds and emotions (while at my desk on the phone, literally!!).
Anyway, this went on for one month and caused much frustration. Sarah was going to tell me to quit anyway because this person was making my life miserable and stressful! I loved the job, but felt that I had to look over my shoulder for every decision I made. The company during this time implemented a Zero-Tolerance Verification Policy, which is still in enforcement. This policy caused many good people to be fired from and/or quit the call center, while leaving the ones who stayed fearing for their job security. For every customer that called into the center wishing to get information on the cellular account, that customer had to verify a certain amount of information before anything could be given...
Being a supervisor, my coach had drilled into my head during the past year that we were to make decisions outside-of-the-box, meaning outside of policy, in order to help the customer in the best way possible. In endeavoring to do this I received a call one day from a customer who was authorized on the account called for, but could not verify the last four of the social in order (this is common for authorized users). The account holder was in the hospital and could not be reached; to make things worse the account was about to be suspended for non-payment! After talking to the customer for forty-five minutes I felt it best to give the past due balance and due date on the account to alert her as to her standing and help her out. This call came up on a call my coach and I listened to and she threatened my job right there, stating it would have to be reviewed by management.
The following Monday (on a day my Coach was gone, by the way), management called me in and fired me on the spot. I had never been told previously that I could not or was not supposed to make such a decision and had never been warned about such a thing before. These people knew I had an expectant wife and daughter, that I was in college, and the I was an asset to the company, but still fired me that day, effective immediately.
I say these things to let those of you who know us to know exactly what happened on that day. As mentioned before, US Cellular has fired many good people since that day and other good people have either transferred from the center or quit to work for other companies. Oh, and one of the managers that fired me was fired within two weeks of my leaving. I have never been fired from any company before and these people hurt our family deeply...
And again I say these things to say the following that I have learned from this:
01.) The Lord Jesus Christ is the one who provides for me and mine, not Man. The Lord may use companies and people to help us, but they are the tools, not the Carpenter. I believe I forgot this working for USCC and am glad to have learned this.
02.) US Cellular may "Connect with you" the customer, but not "you" the employee. You are expendable in so many ways no matter what position you may be in. I am trying to get away from this company and never be associated with them again.
03.) The Lord uses the just and the unjust in His Grand Design. It was the Lord who removed me from US Cellular, because He had things to teach us that could not be best accomplished at the call center. As hurtful as it was for man to reject me, it is good to realize that it is God who was trying to draw us closer to Himself.
04.) Faith is an every day occurance, not something to be used occasionally. If you are not in the place where you have to have faith in God for something every day of your life, I pity you. The faith life is a life of adventure and excitement, knowing that God is bound to supply for you and yours or else He ceases to be God and Lord by His own doing. God has never failed us and never will!
05.) Jesus takes our burdens upon Himself to make ours more bearable. If I did not have a Savior to pray to and give my burdens to, I would be sitting in a corner whimpering somewhere with my family in rags, debt and despair. Praise the Lord that Jesus takes our burdens and supplies our needs!!
06.) Prayer is an everyday necessity for daily sustenance. I have to pray to the Lord several times per hour of every day for provision in my line of work for the funds to meet our needs. By all odds and statistics we should not be able to exist in our current state, but we are SAVING money!! And I am making very close to what I was making at USCC! It is only by God's provision. By prayer to the Lord and reminding Him of His responsibilities to provide for us and quoting Scripture, He encourages and strengthens me and mine.
07.)
Proverbs 3:5-6 is to be lived, not ignored. This is my life verse and our family's verse. We are to trust the Lord with ALL our hearts, not just part. I fail in this every day in my faithlessness and questioning (Lord forgive me), but in this verse is strength. We are not to EVER lean on our own understanding (look at the above and present circumstances and try to understand). We must learn to acknowledge the Lord in all we do, in good time and bad, and then He will direct our paths. God is doing that, praise His Holy Name!
In closing, I want to say this. I am far more happier at Cracker Barrel as a server than I was at US Cellular. I am in better shape, feel better, and look forward to going to work each day! Management works with me, is competent, and knows that I was fired from US Cellular for strange reasons. People know that I am a believer in Christ at work, respect that, and respect my decisions. The Lord is teaching me to deal with problems and talk to people face to face now, rather than over the phone. The skills I learn now are helping train me further for the ministry! I love my job, know that it is not my career, and know that God has me and my family in His training camp. When He deems us ready and fit for His work, then and only then will we leave Knoxville, Cracker Barrel, wherever. In the future I will be giving the Bread of Life to others while I serve biscuits and cornbread now. What better way to train to be a servant of the people in the work of the Lord than to serve others in the work of food?
