This guy again, really???

I have learned over the years that God has a pretty funny sense of humor. Here is how the story goes...

Back in 2012 when I was a General Manager, I hired a new sales manager based on a recommendation from someone that I really trusted at the time. It started out well enough but then after a few weeks this new sales manager began to rub me the wrong way, he was arrogant, obnoxious and a know-it-all. You know the type.

Well, it wasn't too long before Mr. Congeniality got himself in trouble with HR for putting his foot in his mouth. Before I know it we had a series of HR investigations ongoing and it was causing a major disruption to the rest of my workforce.

So I pulled the sales manager in and basically tell him to stop the insanity or else he was going the way of the DODO bird. In the midst of that conversation we began discussing his personal life and the fact that he was a born again Christian.

I begin praying for this guy and soon decide to take him under my wing to help him, so I schedule a series of one on one meetings for us to just talk about anything and everything, I really wanted to help him get some stability in his life. He had a bright future, was pretty good in sales and enjoyed teaching people.

During our first session together I begin to speak with him about God and personal relationships and the next thing I know I was being cut off and told..."You know I used to preach, my father was a preacher I know the bible from beginning to end, you don't have to tell me about Jesus".

"ummm, okay", so I tried another 3-4 times to get him to speak with me, trying to build rapport and coach him up, every single time I was met with being cut off, some rambling of "I know how to manage people, I can sell with the best of them" and misrepresentation of scripture to justify his lifestyle.

So, I stop trying and write the guy off as not coachable and eventually I initiated a transfer to another location-to let someone else deal with him. LOL. Or so I thought...

Five months later we made a strategic decision to close the location I was working in so I transferred to another location. My first day in my new location, in my office walks this same guy! Yep, he's back! Lucky me!

So, I sit him down, somehow hoping the last several months have seen a change in his personality. No such luck, the only thing that happened was he finally got a divorce and now he was "back in the game-watch out single ladies" was his direct quote. I again try to help him by talking with him about Jesus and how He expects us to live and how we treat other people. This goes the same way as last time only this time something else happens...

He begins to try and start coaching me-giving me advice on leadership, Christian principles and winning and just about everything else he can think of. LOL. He had found a small measure of success in his new location and it went right to his head and now wanted to give me (his boss) business advice. LOL.

I quit trying and begin to avoid him as much as possible as this guy is now driving me crazy!I even saw him out once on a weekend and hid behind a rack of shoes to avoid him. I know- not very mature or Christ like-my wife gave me the business over that one. Six months later, I get promoted to Region Manager and transfer to a new location. The first thing I did after thanking the Lord for the promotion was to utter a sigh of relief that I was getting away from this guy, finally!

Two months later, I am sitting in my office and in walks this same guy with a giant box. He walks right up to me, slams his box on my desk, knocks off my Ohio State Buckeyes football helmet pen holder and says..." Guess who?" I just got promoted to sales manager here and I'm in the office right across the hall!

Are you serious??? I couldn't believe it-I was angry-no way this guy again!!! I couldn't get way from him.

After I calmed myself and began to pray, The answer came... As a christian and business leader, God calls me to be the Salt and Light of this world. I don't get to choose who I minister to- God does! The people who God puts in your life are those he would have you minister to- regardless if you like them or not. This guy keeps popping up and 4 years later I still share the office next to him, because God wants me to minister to him. When that ministry is finished, God will send us in different directions.

As Christian business leaders we can get preoccupied and distracted with so many things, that we fail to slow down and realize that People mean more to God than anything. After all He sent his son to die on the cross for people. The people in your life right now, family, friends, business associates, customers, vendors, etc. are placed in your life at this moment for a specific reason. Whether you want to punch them in the face or not. Whether they are rude or not, it doesn't matter. The people we want to most avoid are the people that God wants us to minister to the most-you see God knows just how to stretch us.

God uses the foolish in this life to confound the wise. This is so like God- he loves and has a special place in his heart for the people the rest of the world throw away, the people we deem obnoxious, the uncool people or the ones who don't measure up to our level of success or sophistication.You know who these people are-God personally sees to it that you have a few of them in your life right now! Trust Me.

God wants to use you to draw them closer to him. Once I received this revelation and repented, and I figured out why this guy was still hanging around it freed me up, I began to see him in a different light, I no longer see him as obnoxious but I see him as a guy who needs to see the love of Jesus through me. It vastly improved our relationship. He hasn't changed a bit-last week he gave a motivational book and told me to read it. I am a National Sales Director and he is a Sales Manager, LOL, but I have changed in the way that I now see him and view our relationship.

Who has God placed in your life to minister to? How can you better display the love Jesus to that person? For all of the Christians who live and thrive in the business world, our ministry is to these people who surround us everyday while we are conducting business to show them how to live a victorious life in Christ and model for them daily how a Christian should live. Once they see that what you have is genuine, they will want it too! Guaranteed!

People will come and go into our lives but our goal as Followers of our Lord Jesus Christ should be to leave each and every one of them better than when we found them, while we have them. It is our opportunity to impact this world for Jesus, the whole reason that we as Christians still live and breathe.

Whose life this next week, will you commit to bringing closer to our lord through your ministry? And who will you leave better than when you found them?