Into the Lion's Den

Every morning at work, starting up the machinery is a bit of a chore. Between management and the customer they have come up with an odd way to start up and shut down the machinery. But, it is what the customer wants, so it is what the customer gets. It just means that it takes longer to get everything up and running. When the technician doesn’t come in at six, that slows it down even more. The machine operators have various levels of experience, but most are easy to work with and quick to get things done. There is one however that makes things a bit difficult.

I’m sure that at every job, there is that one person, who is not the easiest to work with. There is that one person who may have just came to work there, but thinks they know everything- or give the impression they do- that has to do with the job. They’ve done this or that for x amount of years so they know how to do the job. They think they know, even though every job has its different way of doing things. Most of us at least, have dealt with someone like that so I won’t give a descriptive listing of offenses.

I was reminded recently that everything we do, no matter what it is, we should do as that we were doping it for the Lord. Everything that we do, we should do in a way that brings glory to the Lord. It doesn’t matter if its our home life, our public life, our jobs, our private actions, all should be done as if being done for the Lord. That we should first remove the log from our own eye, before we so much as considered discussing the splinter in a brother’s eye. This and the above, are he main reasons that I have been praying for guidance in my actions around the one who knows it all at work. I get along with everyone at work, I’ll get along with this one, one way or another.

This one was moved to a different machine today. This machine was set up to run a material that she had not ran before, one that was so far different than what she had been running that it might as well have come from another world. The technician had said that it was ready to start up. This machine was bottom on the list of priorities, so it was last to start. She waited near the machine while we got everything else up and running. I knew she was waiting. I had put off going back there. Then, it reached the moment when I had no choice.

I started across the room thinking, here I go, into the lion’s den. Immediately I thought of Daniel and his being tossed to the lions (Daniel: 1-23) Daniel was betrayed and thrown to the lions, but he was strong in faith and was protected through the night. I knew, that I was not literally going into a lion’s den, but it seemed like a good proverbial comparison. I had not been set up or betrayed, but it still seemed almost like going to the lions to deal with one who doesn’t listen. Then it dawned on me. I wasn’t listening either. Daniel was literally thrown to the lions, but he was protected. I was just going to deal with a person. Different scenarios, but the premise was similar, but more important was the realization of one fact. Daniel was not alone in that den of lions and I would not be alone in mine.

I finished walking across the room with a different attitude. I made it to the machine and with the operator we began to get it started. The technician finally made it over to where we were and began to help. The machine was not as ready as he had proclaimed. Together we worked, slowly getting one end after another up and running. I managed to get the operator to listen to what I was trying to explain, I also put signs up all over the machine. Before we had it all running I had to leave the technician with the operator as I had other responsibilities waiting. Walking away I thought, that wasn’t so bad. I didn’t yell, I didn’t lose my patience, I worked with the lion and walked away unscathed. Because I wasn’t alone.