Some days are diamonds...

[Ninny]

There is an old John Denver song and the chorus goes like this:

Some days are diamonds some days are stones
Sometimes the hard times won't leave me alone
Sometimes a cold wind blows a chill in my bones
Some days are diamonds some days are stones.

Because of the Love and mercy of God and my great friends and family here on this forum today has been a diamond day for me! I love all of you!! I pray that you all may find some diamonds throughout your days!
Kathy

[ez2u]

Kathy  one time when it was raining for a long time and my mind was greatly trouble  I drove to the gulf watching it rain complaining to the Lord
about the rain in and outside my auto I looked closer at the rain drop and  saw them shimmering  and a verse came into my mind 
it was raining diamonds and you thought it was a storm       perspective huh?   peggy

[Ninny]

Peggy, that's great!
Did you notice Firefly's thread yesterday? She spoke of Rainbows, then Musicman made the comment that rainbows are caused by light shining through water- pretty elementary there, but then he said "the light represents God" then I saw that when we cry and the light shines through our tears then God is giving us rainbows! The same thing could be said for the diamonds! God gives us rainbows and diamonds in our saddest, most troubled times! How wonderful a God we serve! He lifts us up with things we would never expect! We just won't look at rain the same knowing that God's presence and His wonderful light is shining and glowing behind every dark thing in our lives!
Kathy

[Marlene]

Girls the night I came in here I had been crying so hard thinking about there being a Hell. What, I thought was a storm , was turned to diamonds.
What, you both said is so true.  The storm might be long , but the diamonds are coming. What an amazing post along with the rainbow one.

In His Love,
Marlene

[Ninny]

Yes and sometimes it's hard to see the light for the tears themselves. We each go through our own personal deep trials, but God is there! When the sun does shine on the diamonds and the rainbows there is no room for doubt or fear!! I want to be a diamond under a rainbow! How beautiful would that be??
Kathy

[meee]

 Aren't we all diamonds in the rough?   I think so.
           hugs,meee

[ez2u]

All our troubles amount to the grace of God in our lives.  How beautiful that is  thanks for reminding me of this.  peggy

[judith collier]

Dear heavens now I can't stop singing RAINDROPS KEEP FALLING ON MY HEAD! Judy

[Ninny]

Judy.. Funny! "But that doesn't mean my eyes will soon be turning red..." hahaha!!
Kathy

[meee]

  By the way Kathy, I love John, it was sad, he died to soon. I know his time was appointed, but still what a loss.
             meee

[hillsbororiver]

Jacobb,

Somehow, some way this woman perceives you as a threat, either to her or to someone within her inner circle or you are not sufficiently stroking her ego or some combination of all the above.

I have had a few people in my work life through the years (I am now 55 years old) who were the worms in my gourd (like Jonah experienced). I guess I could also compare them to Paul's thorn in the flesh....

Resigning my position was my way out of the first and second introductions to this phenomena, that is putting it rather mildly, I went out in a blaze of (self) glory, slashing and burning and letting all involved know how I felt about them. It was not as if I was a mediocre employee, in both of those jobs the folks I worked with directly respected my work ethics and the result of my efforts were easily measurable the one thing I could not and I guess I still can't do is play office politics, kiss up or bend over for anyone, I got angry, let them know it and bid farewell.

Fast forward to the present, I earn decent, actually more than decent money at a job I am content with (all things considered) and thankful to have, but many times through the years I was ready to pull the trigger on one of my famous emotional outbursts and leave. I started with this company as a construction supervisor and made some cost effective as well as quality improvements that earned me the praise of the division president as he kept increasing my responsibilities. Soon I was also overseeing quality control, warranty and even the company safety program.

The division president was consistently singing my praises and giving me raises!  

That did not sit well with the "heir apparent" who had moved (as did the president) from the corporate office across the country to learn the ropes of opening and cultivating a new market as the CEO of our company was aggressively committed to expanding our company into new areas. It was the unspoken conventional wisdom that he would be next in line for assuming the role of president at some point, either here or in another market.

His background was in design, purchasing and estimating while mine was in the nuts and bolts of putting it together and keeping it together, we would butt heads from time to time but being the consummate politician he did his best work in undercutting me behind closed doors, condescendingly giving me praise as a task performer but expounding on my lack of vision in regard to evaluating the competitors product and incorporating new designs to keep us fresh and cutting edge.

Actually he was right, I was too busy attempting to make the current stuff work!  

This was tough to handle for me the first few years but for the most part I was content just to keep my distance doing my job with a group of guys and gals that were great to work with, every now and then though I would tweak his comfort zone a bit but never crossing the line into open warfare.

The real peace I found was when I "stumbled" onto Bible Truths and began to really understand what this temporary existence is all about. It isn't to find total fulfillment here in this world, it is to overcome this world. My "adversary" was put exactly where God wanted him to be and for me to bear it peacefully and honorably. As I realized this more and more I found this power trip and all the political gamesmanship that accompanies it bothered me less and less, don't get me wrong, it did not transform into a blissful "lived happily evermore" existence but I was better able to persevere.

To make a long story less long, the president of our division was transferred to open a new market and guess who the new division president is?  



My adversary.



We have a mutual professional respect, he gets the position he has lusted for and I have a good paying job that may not be a perfect fulfillment but it keeps my family fed, a roof over our heads as I wait for that glorious day that our Lord returns to establish His Kingdom!

Persevere Brother!

This is a trial God deems necessary to form you into His Son.

Peace in your tribulation,

Joe            

[hillsbororiver]

How many days does it take to transform a lump of coal into a diamond?

Many, many days, years, eons of pressure and heat to remove the impurities and then we have a common lump of coal formed into a magnificent gem of much worth, universally desired.

Sound familiar?

Peace,

Joe

[Ninny]

These things surely make my trials seem small in comparison..we've all been there one way or another at some time or other..God is there! I am thankful that He doesn't give us more than we can handle it sure feels like we come to the very edge at times. Hang in there, buddy and let God do it..The more God does in you the more like Him you become stay strong Jacob, stay strong and hold on tight!
Kathy 

[aqrinc]

I could give you a dessertation that might make you say: !!what the!! . But The Scriptures speak much more eloquently and in Truth.

Mat 6: 19-34 (BBE)
19  Make no store of wealth for yourselves on earth, where it may be turned to dust by worms and weather, and where thieves may come in by force and take it away.
20  But make a store for yourselves in heaven, where it will not be turned to dust and where thieves do not come in to take it away:
21  For where your wealth is, there will your heart be.
22  The light of the body is the eye; if then your eye is true, all your body will be full of light.
23  But if your eye is evil, all your body will be dark. If then the light which is in you is dark, how dark it will be!
24  No man is able to be a servant to two masters: for he will have hate for the one and love for the other, or he will keep to one and have no respect for the other. You may not be servants of God and of wealth.
25  So I say to you, Take no thought for your life, about food or drink, or about clothing for your body. Is not life more than food, and the body more than its clothing?
26  See the birds of heaven; they do not put seeds in the earth, they do not get in grain, or put it in store-houses; and your Father in heaven gives them food. Are you not of much more value than they?
27  And which of you by taking thought is able to make himself a cubit taller?
28  And why are you troubled about clothing? See the flowers of the field, how they come up; they do no work, they make no thread:
29  But I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.
30  But if God gives such clothing to the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is put into the oven, will he not much more give you clothing, O you of little faith?
31  Then do not be full of care, saying, What are we to have for food or drink? or, With what may we be clothed?
32  Because the Gentiles go in search of all these things: for your Father in heaven has knowledge that you have need of all these things:
33  But let your first care be for his kingdom and his righteousness; and all these other things will be given to you in addition.
34  Then have no care for tomorrow: tomorrow will take care of itself. Take the trouble of the day as it comes.

george.

[G. Driggs]

Today has been one of the worst days I've had in a long time.  Sure I've had little trials here and there but today, God put the smack down on me w/such a fiery trial that I started to sweat and still cant stop while writing this post.

Today I had my 1st work performance review since starting at my company almost 2 yrs ago.  My job is highly complex and very stressful and difficult.  I work for a lobbying firm in DC.  Well since starting I have been persecuted by this "christian" woman who is our HR Director.  I've been verbally and mentally abused by her, I've been sent emails by her that are beyond acceptable or ethical.  I've documents conversations where she has told me I need to realize people don't want to be my friend and oh so many other extremely hateful and unacceptable comments during our meetings.  Basically the woman is prejudiced against me.  She is black and I'm white and I'm constant under attack from her and her inner circle of co-workers.  She shares personal and confidential information about me with other co-workers and so many other things that I would be here all day if I listed them.  She did ask my references if I had a problem working w/black people and women, which I found insulting and unprofessional since one of my references was a dear friend who happens to be black and female.

During my review, I brought up documentation, emails and everything else I had that clearly showed her unprofessional behaviors.  The president said if it came down to it, he respected her and she had his confidence and I'd be the one to be let go if that was his choice.  I was like un-freaking real!  She denied and would not accept responsibility for anything, not her actions, not her words and not her breech of confidential information.  I was basically given the weekend to decide if I wanted to continue to work her.  Right now I'm thinking who my lawyer should be... then I think should I turn the other cheek?  It's funny, when I just bought my house, I thought God is going to give me all these things and He is going to take them away.  I KNEW it.  I FELT it.  Now I just may be out of a job, which would cause me to have to sell my house!  God is bringing me down to my knees and it hurts!  I'm am rejoicing thru the pain but scared at the same time.  I see everything being flushed down the drain and I'm not worried... surprisingly.  God isn't allowing me to worry.

Man, I feel like crying.  Oh wait I did that already DURING AND AFTER my horrible meeting being told how worthless I am to my company.  It was NOT a pretty sight folks, I'm ashamed to say.  I have never lost it like that in my entire life.  I just can't explain it... I knew this was coming, that this would happen.  What's crazy is I'm a great worker, I have never gotten a bad review, always outstanding, above and beyond reproach.

God just laid a whammee on me today.  I need to pray and need prayers.

-Jacobb

Novice Believer - Can I call you?

Hi Jacobb, I can so totally relate to you. I've had some fiery trials come my way recently and alot of it was work related. If this is any consolation what so ever, be glad your not a drug dealer like me. Im not doing it now, but it has only been like a week since I last did it, and I hope that it was the last time. Way too stress full of a job! I quit! I can say with gladness and relief to "the man" take this job and ***** it! Please pray for me too.

G.Driggs

[judith collier]

Jacobb and G.Driggs. God either has something else in store for you(better) or hanging in there will be the solution or God will come in between that rock and a hard place. Just don't hate that woman Jacobb because it will do YOU harm. I suspect like someone said, she might have a bit of fear(her own insecurities)toward you, obviously you are a challenge to her. Don't protest too much! You say you knew this was coming, can you think of a good reason yet why this is happening?      G.Driggs, trust God for His provision and once you lay that DEALING aside He will do a much better job than you can in bringing in a bit more money. I will pray for the both of you.Judy

[ez2u]

The battle is all the same  please hear me out it isn't  whether you have this worldly big position some where or if you are a mother taking care of her children and help her husband out with their small business as I did.  Its what the Lord Jesus is doing in our lives, his creation.  He know what needs to be done to bring us and develop us in Him.  I loved what Joe said  this last job he saw he was being self righteous  walking off the other jobs and this time he just did his job that God set before him.  Like daily bread.  Life gets so much easier when we are able to drop off some of the flesh.  Its not as important for me to win and be right its important for me to do the Fathers will on earth.  one of the  the hardest attributes of the flesh for me is pride  it is really sneaky peggy