For over a year I worked after school at a frozen yogurt shop, and I loved my job. My co-workers were fun to work with. received good pay. I enjoyed serving customers and being helpful. Then the store was bought by the rudest, coldest man I'd ever met!

I dreaded going to work every day. He argued with and made fun of customers on a daily basis. He yelled and cursed at the employees for little things, such as not filling the spoon container. He was extremely short-tempered and unforgiving. Worst of all, he seemed to hate me the most of all the employees. I think it was because I could not joke around with someone who was so mean.

I prayed to see that this man's unloving acts and hateful feelings were no part of his real identity and that I did not have to react or to be hurt by any of his unkind words. I wanted to quit, but that would mean leaving all the good friends I had made. And by this time it was of summer. I knew it would be hard to find another job—and I really needed a summer job. I thought of the Lord's Prayer, which states in part, "Thy will be done" (Matt. 6:10). I knew I had to do God's will.

I went on working at the shop, knowing that no person could take away my joy, dominion, and happiness.

One morning when I was working alone with this man, he yelled at me for hours about what a bad job I had done when closing the night before. But I knew I hadn't done a bad job at all. Later, some of the employees said they would all chip in and give me $250 if I would stand on the counter and scream in the drive-through intercom and to the in-store customers how much I couldn't stand my boss! They all really wanted to hear me say that, reserved person that I am, and they wanted to see the look of shock on the owner's face. It seemed that if I didn't do this, I would be a coward and a weaker person than if I did it. It was very tempting.

Soon after, I talked about this with my Sunday School teacher. She told me that I would be a stronger person if I did not do what my friends were suggesting, and that I could trust God to work this out. I decided that I didn't need to take the dare, as it really was a vengeful thing to do and would make me look like an unloving person—which wasn't the truth at all. I decided that if I were to leave, I should give him adequate notice and write a note with logical reasons explaining why.

A day or two later, a friend told me about a homemade ice cream store near my home. I visited it. It was very cute, and the people who worked there were very friendly. I filled out an application. Meanwhile I was still working at the yogurt place, but now things were much better! Every time I worked a shift, the owner was not there. This was very unusual, as he was usually there every day. In the next two weeks I worked with him only one hour.

Then I was called for an interview at the other store and was hired on the spot. When I left the yogurt shop, I did it peaceably with a written note explaining all my reasons as I had planned. I have since learned that the headquarters for the yogurt chain is investigating that store because so many former employees and customers have complained about the owner's bad behavior.

Mary Baker Eddy writes: "Sin punishes itself, because it cannot go unpunished either here or hereafter. Nothing is more fatal than to indulge a sinning sense or consciousness for even one moment. Knowing this, obey Christ's Sermon on the Mount, even if you suffer for it in the first instance,—are misjudged and maligned; in the second, you will reign with him" (Miscellaneous Writings, pp. 93–94).

I'm glad I was not vengeful toward this man. And I am so grateful to have been able to stay with the love of God; He can open doors in unimaginable ways. I don't think any of this would have worked out so well if I had not been open to God's will and determined to keep my thoughts full of love for God and man.