Credit Where Credit is Due

I used to work for a Fortune-500 company that shall remain nameless.  I worked as a mid-level manager and part of my job duties entailed overseeing 400 employees at any given time.  Scheduling, overtime, paychecks, grievances, product quality and morale all fell under my umbrella.  To make matters worse, it was a union house.  Not there’s anything wrong with that, it’s just that when union contracts enter the scene, the job responsibilities of a manager increase exponentially.  

My boss happened to be a moron.  I'm sorry, that's not nice... he was an intellectually challenged individual who sat up in his office, never making his way down to the trenches where the troops were.  He didn’t know the contracts, the people, or the job.  As with many individuals in a position of power, this man had no business doing business.

Summers tended to be particularly busy at the company, which translated into a ton of overtime.  Problem was, the troops in the trenches were only making $10 an hour.  People working at that pay rate would rather go home to their families than put in one minute of OT.   The company required a certain number of line employees on the job, so I spent long hours, every day, meeting with foremen and union reps in order to keep the machine running.  Time and again, my boss gladly stepped up to except the pats on the back from the big-wigs on the top floor on behalf of those who worked under him.  Not once did he stand to the side and give the credit where it was due.  He would, however, manage to side-step negative attention when something went wrong.  He would often bungle a simple task and then pass the blame down the ladder.

It wasn’t long before I grew wise to his habits.  I figured out that if I stopped succeeding, he stopped succeeding.  If he screwed up and passed it down, I’d do the same.  His blunders would hit the bottom and boomerang right back up.  I would step to the side and let it hit him square.  Basically, I turned my back on him and he was helpless.

Did he beg forgiveness and offer to make things right?  Of course not.  He would scamper and dodge, attempting to figure things out, all the while insisting that he had a handle on the situation.  Eventually he was let go, in large part due to his advanced incompetence.  Had he simply put his hand out, asked for forgiveness, given credit, and trusted those who worked for him, he would have been golden.

God works much the same way.  He empowers us with certain talents, intelligence, and gifts to survive and thrive.  When everything is going great, we stand up and crow, “Aren’t I wonderful?  See what I’ve done here?”  Rarely giving credit where it is due.  When things go wrong, however, we scowl and declare, “Why did God let this happen?  I thought He was supposed to be a loving creator.  He must not exist.”  

We consistently turn our backs on Him, taking credit and doling out blame.  Fortunately, He doesn't turn His back on us... but He will step to the side and allow the ramifications of our actions to boomerang back and knock us upside our ignorant heads.  

One of the most important parts of Recovery is recognizing our part in things. Instead of scampering around, insisting that we have a handle on things and passing the blame,  we simply have to put our hand out, asked for help and we will be golden.  When we move closer to God, he moves closer to us.  If we turn our back, we can’t blame him when things go wrong.  

God is not vengeful.  He only wants good things for his children.  Problem is, he gave me free will and that’s where I get into trouble.  When I’m following His plan, things work out great.  When I stray and begin to run on self will, things fall apart.
  

Now, when things are going great, I thank God for his goodness.  When things get screwed up, I take a closer look to see what it was that I did to mess up God’s design... then I thank Him again for not turning His back on me.