I checked my e-mail, clicking on a message from one of the magazines I worked for as a photo stylist. Maybe they had a new assignment for me. I was in for the shock of my life.
After 30 loyal years they were telling me I wouldn’t be working with them again—ever! They wanted new people to give the magazine a new look. Old faithfuls like me were no longer needed, thank you very much.
I read the e-mail again, getting more and more furious. It wasn’t just the loss of income that upset me—though I needed all the work I could get. It was the way the message made me feel disposable and unappreciated.
All those hours I spent getting a scene just right for the camera. All those ideas I had for special publications that had been successful…
Well, if that was what they thought of me, I was going to say what I thought of them. I hit Reply, and got ready to let them have it. I started three angry e-mails, but none of them sounded right. Why couldn’t I find the words I wanted? I certainly knew how I felt… angry, bitter, cheated.
Finally I took a break. I needed time to think. No, I needed time to pray. God knew how hard I’d worked for the magazine. He knew how hurt I was about being dropped. Tell me what to say to feel better about this, I asked him.
When the answer came, it wasn’t what I expected. I tried to dismiss it. How could I possibly do what was being asked of me? Yet the urge persisted. It grew. I started typing.
This time the words came in a rush. I thanked my former employer for the opportunity to work with all the wonderful people I had met and for all I had learned. I even thanked them for so long an association. I turned everything I was upset about into something to be thankful for.
I hit Send, and felt my spirit lift. I hadn’t written the e-mail I’d intended to write. I wrote the one I was intended to.
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