Article May 12, 2014 Issue

Benefits of God's care

Steve Berrie

One morning, while I was working in the warehouse, a fellow employee approached me quite upset. He began complaining to me about the deteriorating benefits of our company health-care provider and the increased out-of-pocket expense. The atmosphere was getting pretty heated as he began recounting specific instances that he and his wife recently encountered during doctor visits and drug store purchases that he felt were unfair, substandard, costly, and growing worse.

As these complaints were being fired at me and beckoning a response, I was praying to handle the suggestions of outrage, discouragement, anger, and the temptation to join in sympathetically out of a sense of courtesy, camaraderie, and so on. As my co-worker continued, I began to realize that his frustration was beginning to turn on me because of my lack of response. I made a few gestures to acknowledge that I was hearing him, but it wasn’t enough and he stormed off.

I continued praying to try to still the discomfort I was now feeling about the situation. I felt a mental burden. I seemed to feel his disappointment in me and realized I could not allow the frustration to fester. I ran out to the yard and caught him before he drove away. I said, “Hey, buddy, ya got a minute?” He said, “Sure.” I began by assuring him that I hadn’t been ignoring him inside, and he said, “That’s OK.” I then reminded him a little about my faith as most of the employees there think of me as being religious. I told him that I think of benefits in a different way, in the way the Bible teaches.

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