day 476: Distress Calls

"Distress calls". When I hear this term I think of either something that happens at sea or something that a policeman or fireman would do when they are in trouble. But, the truth of the matter is that every workplace has their own version of distress calls. It just may not be as obvious as those that we hear and see from TV or other sources. Our distress calls come in the form of people who burn out or become overwhelmed to the point that they feel like they need to walk off the job in order to regain balance or sanity in their lives. Today, there are more and more people who feel this way. This past week, a strange hero was created from the antics of the guy, Steven Slayter, who decided to quit his JetBlue flight attendant job in a very colorful way. I have been troubled since this story by the number of people and media outlets who have lifted him up as a new folk hero of the working person. What this did tell me is that many people are feeling frustrated, trapped and unfulfilled in their current jobs and with the economy the way it is, they would rather stay in their current situation than risk a move or worse yet, join the unemployed. These are distress calls in a distressed time. As believers we are not immune to these feelings in our jobs. But, we have a better place to send our distress calls. In Psalm 55:17, David models this for us; "Morning, noon and night I plead aloud my distress, and the Lord hears my voice". If today, you are feeling distressed and you are placing the call, but you feel like no one is listening or responding, then it may be that you are sending the call in the wrong direction. Try allowing God to be on the receiving end of your problems and challenges at work and see if the answers don't come back in a better and different way.

Reference: Psalm 55:17 (New Living Testament)

day 409: Distress Days

Invariably and almost predictably, will come a day in our jobs which feels like a day of distress. We all know these days. These are the days when no matter what we have going, nothing is going right. These are the days when no one seems happy with our performance and what we are doing for them. These are the days when we don't know who to trust and who does or doesn't have our back. These are the days when our nerves are so raw that we question the tone of each word that comes out of the mouth of others. These are the days when we just can't wait for the day to end. Thankfully, they don't come every day, but every few months or for a flurry once a year they do come and when they hit they hurt. I would like to say that I know a way to avoid them, but I don't. What I do know is how to cope when they do arrive, and arrive they will. We can manage through these times on two planes. On the human side, knowing where we are emotionally so that we recognize our own signs of distress is very important. I think of the story of the boy who digs a hole and is so intent on digging the hole as deep as it can go that he forgets to look up until he finds that he dug the hole so deep that he can't get out. We all are guilty of that on occasion. What we cannot do is forget to look up to know and understand where we are at all times. When the days of distress hit if we try to ignore the warning signs and we don't adjust then we will find ourselves overwhelmed without any way to get our of our own hole. The other plane to manage on is our faith. God allows these days of distress to hit us but He will never give us more than we can handle, if, we are open and willing to take these days to Him for His help. We have many promises of this throughout God's Word. David sings out this promise in Psalm 143:11; "For the glory of your name, O Lord, preserve my life. Because of your faithfulness, bring me out of this distress." Today you may be either in or entering a day of distress. Do you know the signs for yourself? And more importantly, are you ready to allow God to be there for you when it hits? Now is the time of preparation, not when the distress is upon you. Start today with asking God to help you through this day and to strengthen your faith in Him and to ready you for anything that comes along. If you do this, the days of distress, when they do come, you will be ready.

Reference: Psalm 143:11 (New Living Testament)