Chapter 18: ALL THINGS WORK FOR GOOD

Vengeance is Mine, I will repay!

When I moved to Georgia back in 1969, I started out working at the Electrolux Treasury office in Atlanta Georgia. After working there for a couple of years I heard about a job in a one-girl office for CP&W  Printing Co.  It was more pay and also I would get paid once a week instead of bimonthly, which sometimes was a struggle financially.  CP&W Co. printed cartons, packaging and labels for companies such as Coca-Cola, Pepsi etc. I had to self- train, as the girl that previously held the position left for her new job and could not stay to train me. I used to go through the files to research how things were handled previously to learn how to do them.

It was a small branch of the company that had about 10 to 12 employees who were all men, so I was the only female in office. This was often difficult because these men would be very flirty and quite forward towards me, especially while the bosses were gone.  Also the bosses themselves, which consisted of Don Holland, an assistant who was the salesman, use to be flirty also.  They use to try and get me to be the date of one of their potential clients, but I always refused.  I was a Christian with very strong morals and had not dated much really, as I was waiting for my “Mr. Right” who I had been praying for since I was five years old.  (See chapter 7: “Sharron’s Mr. Right”.)  

The branch manager, Mr. Holland, decided I needed someone to protect me, so he decided he was going to be my “godfather” from here on out.  I did not mind as my father was a long distance independent truck driver who lived in Tampa, Florida so I never saw him.  It was nice having someone looking out for me.

One of the main employees: “Richard” (who was married) was their technical man, and this company depended upon his color match skills - he was their main asset.  But, he also thought he was Elvis or God’s gift to women!  He would strut himself around me as if I was suppose to melt at his feet and do his bidding.  I was not the least bit impressed by him so I usually ignored him.  He was their ink expert, so without his expertise, they would all be out of a job.  He use to match the ink on packages and make it for less to get the job of printing their materials.  He was the company’s bread and butter so they all treated him like royalty. 

One day while preparing our weekly petty cash disbursements for our home office, I decided to be very bold and placed a little Bible tract in the envelope which was one of those tracts that looked like a small comic book entitled: “This Was Your Life”.  I knew there could be repercussions over sending it but decided to take a step of faith and do it anyway.   It was about two weeks later that the three owners whose initials were: “CP&W”, in our company name, came to visit us.  I was sitting at my desk when the president came and sat on the corner of my desk and began to question me.  He asked me if I was a person of faith and began “interrogating” me at first but then began to laugh and told me he was just messing with me but could not keep it up, but that I made his day when that tract was shown to him!  He said his office manager opened the petty cash request envelope and the tract fell out and she brought it to him and said: “this will make your day!”. It seems he was a strong believer and had been praying for Don Holland and the others for years and felt God sent me as a witness.

 

I worked at this job for about six months and one day my manager called me in his office and told me he really liked the way I self trained and learned everything on my own and that he was very pleased with me, so to keep up the good work.  Well, everything seemed to be going great and I loved my new job, until one day when the two bosses were gone, I had an unpleasant encounter with our tech (Richard, aka Elvis).  I stepped into the lab to give him an ink formula I had just finished working up when he grabbed me in front of one of the plant machine operators and tried to kiss me!  I shoved him off and told him to stop and ran from his lab very upset.  He was laughing at me to the other guy, and said, “Awe, you need to let go and relax as you might really enjoy it! “.

A week passed and things seemed back to normal, when Richard asked Don, the manager, upon his return from his trip, if he could talk with him about something.  They closed the door and I thought very little about it until later on, Don asked me if I could hang around a few minutes after work as he wanted to talk with me.   We sat in his car and he told me he was going to have to let me go, that there was some problems with my work and they were going to hire someone from another company in my place.  I cried and so did he!  He told me this was the hardest thing he has ever had to do as he felt I was like a daughter to him.   The next day he asked me if I would be willing to stay two weeks longer to train the new girl!  Normally most people would say “NO, that’s your problem!” but I was held to a higher standard.  The Lord spoke and very gently reminded me: “Do good to those that despitefully use you, love your enemies.” (Matthew 5:44); Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself (Matthew 22:39). 

I discovered later, while training my replacement, what really happened.  It seemed Richard did not like being rejected by me and gave Don an ultimatum:. "It’s her or me.". She said she knew him (Richard), as they use to work for the same company before coming to work for “CP&W”.  She asked me why I stayed the two weeks to train her after getting fired, as she would have told them where to go, and could not have done it.  I was able to share with her how I could do it and the principles I lived by and about the Lord I loved more.  Also that I knew he would lead me to another, better job so I was not the least bit worried.

I worked out my two weeks with no job leads, and was about to go apply for unemployment the next week, but decided to attend the evening service at “Welcome All Baptist Church” on a Sunday evening in which we had testimony time.  I felt inspired to share my ordeal with this body of believers and after the service one of our youth group friends came up to me and said he would talk to his employment manager, Laverne Mashburne, to find out whether there were any openings or not. The next day I received a call; it seemed they were hiring and as the Lord would have it, I got the job!  I had a week break then got hired by Cotton States Insurance Co. main office and never missed a pay check!  Also, this job lead me to my husband, Jack Wright which is in chapter 7: “Sharron’s Mr. Right” should you wish to read this incredible answer to prayer with such detail only our Heavenly Father could work out!

Just a bit of additional information, a year after I left the “CP&W Printing Co.” it burned to the ground and everyone lost their jobs!  It truly is "a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God' (Hebrews 10:31) and also “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is Mine; I will repay saith the Lord' (Romans 12:19), and “But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons'. (Colossians 3:25)   Also, “All things work together for good to those that love the Lord and are called according to His purpose.'  (Romans 8:28)

What an awesome God we serve!  He is: El-Elyon, the Most High God, Who is the first cause of everything, the Possessor of the heavens and Earth. He is the Everlasting God, the Great God, the Living God, the merciful God, the faithful God, the Mighty God. He is Truth, Justice, Righteousness, and Perfection.  He is El- Elyon --- the Highest Sovereign of the heavens and the Earth.
ADONAI, my Lord and my Master. 

He is Jehovah --- the completely Self-Existing One, always present, revealed and Jesus, Who is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
JEHOVAH JIREH:  The one who meets all our needs and provides for them.
JEHOVAH SHAMMAH: the One who will never leave or forsakes me.  You are always there.  I take comfort and am encouraged and confidently and boldly say, The Lord is my Helper; I will not be seized with alarm --- I will not fear or dread or be terrified.  What can man do to me?