"I need to Complain" or "Life Happens"

This week has been incredibly challenging.  I started my new job with high hopes and expectations of a low stress environment and easy-going people.  I'm sure once I get the hang of things the stress will diminish.

Let me begin by telling you my schedule for the week.  The other store needed managers this past week on three days - two of which were my days off.  I was asked to work both those days.  So beginning on Monday I worked the closing shift every day and all day today, Sunday.   I have made a lot of mistakes, which is somewhat to be expected when you're new at something, but that knowledge doesn't make me feel any better.  There are only two associates I like to work with out of the 8 or 9 sales associates, and I like working with both my managers.   However, as a manager I don't really get to work with the other managers, and I have to work with all the other people that I don't particularly care for - again, this is to be expected, but it does not make me feel any better!!  Especially when I am still in the learning process, and closing the store takes me twice as long as the other managers with complaining sales associates asking when am I going to be finished.  

Dealing with this work week was quite enough for me to handle, but as Vacation Bible School director I got another little surprise.  On Wednesday at 9 pm, my husband receives a call from the church that is supposed to send a team to help us with VBS.  They are unable to procure transportation, and they have cancelled - less than two weeks before the event is to take place. I totally understand that stuff like this happens, and I do not blame anyone for circumstances beyond their control.  However, it is very frustrating that we did not find out about their troubles until they decided to cancel.  Now I have less than two weeks to figure something out. We've come up with a couple different ideas, but the only one that makes sense to me is to cancel the whole thing.  Our elderly congregation + me are not able to properly execute VBS on our own.  For one thing, only about 3 of them have volunteered to help with the major portion of the curriculum.  The other 4 people (yes that's 7 in all if one does not have to go out of town) volunteered to help in the kitchen.  

Again, I do not blame the congregation for not volunteering to help with something like recreation.  For goodness sakes, some of them can barely walk!  However, making a craft requires sitting in one spot and gluing things together.  Being a family leader requires sitting in one spot talking to the children.  Why is it that a visitor to our church offered to help with VBS before over half of them consented to help in the kitchen?  Why is it that when someone mentions not doing VBS they get all up in arms, but then do NEXT-to-NOTHING to help besides providing a few refreshments? 

To top off these annoyances, there are a few people (one in particular) who constantly complain about me and the work we are trying to do with VBS. There are snide comments made in front of a lot of people, and low murmurs made right in front of me.  I have done everything possible to include our folks and to make this the best VBS possible in light of the circumstances.  But I don't do things the way the former VBS director did, and that lady is moving this week to Mississippi, so our hardest worker won't be here.  Almost every time I try to get input or help, they refuse me.

I am ready to throw in the towel. I honestly don't know how to rise above this.  I feel beaten and broken, and I'm tired.  My mom told me that all this was helping to strengthen my character.  I know she's right, but that doesn't make things any easier.  Yet, as Job said, can we not accept the bad things as well as the good?  God is loving, and He does care more for our character than making us happy and making everything run smoothly.  

God be praised for not giving up on the likes of me.  He is more gracious, kind, and merciful than we can fathom.  He is deserving of the highest honor and praise!  He conquered death, so He can conquer this VBS, amen.