PERSPECTIVE


Working on minimum wage is hard work. I used to come home tired, heavy, and struggling to walk, drained of words and spirit. But I was indignant – because for the small amount I was getting paid, I shouldn’t be exhausted. The little payslips I received meant that I was a highly replaceable, averagely skilled employee, and it would be illogical, ludicrous, even, to be weakened by such worthless activity. Stop being tired, I said to myself.

Oh, but I was exhausted. I’m an introvert, with a habitation preference of quiet and organized spaces, so working in a brightly coloured and busy store was overwhelming for all of my senses.  There was a small part that I enjoyed - I liked talking to mums pushing their babies, and operating a till was the fulfillment of all my five-year-old shopkeeping dreams. But for the most part, I found it spacey, because I didn’t know if I was fully allowed to enjoy a minimum wage job that involved counting pencil cases and dealing with refunds (a customer once quoted saying: “the horn fell off my unicorn eraser.”) Retail barely scraped the cap of my potential, and my shoulders drooped in confusion - shouldn’t I be ashamed of working at an intellectually nullifying job? Where the pay is basically the same value as handing you a McChicken every hour? I spent a lot of time at work, and consequently observed: time goes fast when you are happy, slow when you feel torn, and even slower when you spend it in a general dilemna at, you know, everything. 

Front row attendees gasp: I got depressed. It wasn’t just my job. Everything was stripped back, people disappeared as quickly as their snapchats, and as I eyed up my natural, simplistic life, I wasn’t happy with what I saw. My skewed vision made diligence look disgusting, hard work like heartbreak, and trust like the most terrifying thing to exist. It wasn’t ‘my pleasure’ to help mums choose stationery for their kids, it was a chore, because I didn’t see the value in my contribution, or how it would prepare me for the rest of my life. My days at work were the barely stable lid on much confusion. It seemed selfish and materialistic, the whole business, and my thoughts compressed, until they were air-less and dense. My eyes had narrowed and my throat had tightened, and I found that hope is impossible, if you can’t even look it in the eye.

Although I felt consumed by grief at my current situation, I lifted my eyes long enough to read parts His good word, and enjoy the company of those that more faith in me than I did. It’s simply a shame, though, to rely on other people for salvation – they can’t smooth the creases in your dark and lurid outlook. For I was engrossed in my misfortune, and there were weeks where all I did was rip my heart further apart. You are capable of breaking your own heart, you know? And I couldn’t look anywhere other than the generously long staircase I climbed (too generous), because I was almost convinced it was terrible, worthless, and wrong.

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It wasn’t. Working a minimum wage job for six months did not turn out to be the worst. thing. ever. It took weeks, I will admit months, to stop devaluing myself, and let out one single breath of satisfaction. I began to believe the promises that God has, and how He has them for every season, and any situation we could ever be in. He was, and still is, doing a good work in me, and His plan for me is better than any I could think of.

You don’t know how much school taught you, until you begin to learn everything it didn’t. Retail work taught me the value of people, money, and time – the amount we’re given of each currency is finite, so treat your family, dollar bills, and Saturdays with care. Pursue excellence and work hard, but pay for someone else’s coffee, and spend a day doodling with your favourite office pens, because life is a short affair, and if you’re not going to enjoy the journey, you’re not going to enjoy much.

Life will give you lemons, trust me, it does. People will fling stigma and prejudice at you like sticky cobwebs, but even if you must painstakingly peel them off: get rid of them as fast you can. Make the best of a bad situation, before it makes the best of you. Don’t let a circumstance define you – because, seriously? A job, a partner, a payslip? They couldn’t rid you of your artistry and grace, even if they tried.

It took me a while, but I realized that perspective is everything. Life is what you make it. It truly is. There is always hope, opportunity, and prospect. It is as proven as when the next wave catches your ankles unabashed, breathlessly wetting your feet more wholly than the last. After my agreement with His gracious love, I enjoyed my last month of work – I smiled as I handed customers their change, and jingled my bracelets (excessively) as I typed in their email signups. Lesson: when tomorrow is so unreasonably saturated with hope, borrow some, so you have sufficient hope for today. He is teaching you things that you couldn’t learn if you were doing something else, so suspend your suspicions, elongate your credence, because He does not disappoint. 

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A friend just got a job serving french fries, which looks and smells like you would think: saturated fats, grease, and hangry customers. To be honest, not how I would like to spend four hours on a Saturday. But she’s not concerned about stereotypes, or her pride, and she was overflowing with life when she said: “I (yes! me!) just got a job serving the best french fries in town, so COME SAY hiiiiii!!!”

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Perspective is everything.

“For God works all things for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

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Mads xx

4 comments:

  1. This is really interesting, reminds me a little bit about the whole law of attraction topic at the moment. I feel like this is a topic you could talk about for hours and hours!
    Aleeha xXx
    http://www.halesaaw.co.uk/

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    1. I could definitely talk about it for much longer haha! Side note: I don't agree with the law of attraction, for many reasons - I believe humans do not have supernatural power, and that we only have power through Him. However, I do believe that thoughts become actions (Proverbs 23:7), and that if you delight yourself in Him, He will give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4). He has come to give us life to the full (John 10:10), and He promises a great reward for those who seek and obey Him. Anyways, thanks for your comment! I love discussions LOL

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  2. Hi! I totally agree with you that perspective is everything. I love your friend's enthusiasm for work. It reminds me of how excited I was when I worked my first minimum wage job. Fun times lol. But great post! I always appreciate your perspective on things.

    http://thewilddreamer.com

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