Core scripture: “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old.  Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?  I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” (Isaiah 43:18-19)

I was sitting in the break room at Amazon earlier this week with a couple friends.  Q looked exhausted.  So did Warren, and I was probably yawning by that point in the day, too.  Working the midnight shift at Amazon will do that to you.

We were all venting about work stuff.  Sometimes you just gotta get that stuff out.  I yearned for something more though.  With Philippians 4:8 on my heart, I wanted to share with them how putting yourself in the right mindset and thinking about the good can make all the difference.

“You guys just have to look to the positive!” I spoke up.

Q looked at me like I was crazy.  Eyebrows raised in surprise, she asked the question that Warren was thinking too.

“WHAT positive?” she chuckled.

I took a deep breath and leaned in.  Enlightening them to my point of view is not easy, so I took it slow.

“Well,” I thought for a second, collecting my thoughts.  “We get off at noon.  While the rest of the world has to work until five, we are done by lunch time!”

Warren bounced his head from side to side.  “Yeah, yeah … I feel ya.”

Q still wasn’t having it.  She giggled, rolling her eyes.  It was as if she was telling me, “Whatever, bro.”  I knew I had to dig deeper with something that would hit home.  So, I changed my tactic.

“You know, Amanda and I were talking yesterday,” I began.  “She was talking about her emotional support people here at work.  You know, the ones that we count on to get through the day.  Like … well, like us!  Just talking here in the break room to survive the day!”

Her eyes widened in agreement, “Yeeeees!”

I knew that would get her on my side.  And as we rose our weary, aching bodies from the cafeteria chairs, we soldiered on back into the warehouse, empowered and fulfilled, ready to tackle the remainder of the day. 

That afternoon nine of us showed up for Lunch Bunch at Abelardo’s after shift.  Our BIGGEST Lunch Bunch yet!  Feasting on Taco Tuesday specials, we laughed, we bonded, and we solidified ourselves as that “loud bunch in the corner that you need to steer clear of.”

For real.

As I stood over our booth at the end—some had to stand to make room for the latecomers—I realized something special: There was no other place I wanted to be.  My fellow Amazonians were the emotional support crew that I savored and loved.

Our God is so good to allow this to happen.  Working EVERYTHING for His good.  Romans 8:28 declares that.  Even traumatic events that rock you to your core.  Time to reflect on the past year and get real …

After losing my job last fall, I must admit I was angry.  As a matter of fact, I don’t even want to think about it, nor do I want to divulge any information public here about it.  I have healed a lot through journaling, counseling, and prayer, but my heart is still being mended.  The scars left behind still are being dealt with.

Every time my mind goes back to what could have been an amazing school year, I get flustered.  I miss the group of students that was on track to be the most memorable group of kids I ever taught.  I miss the faculty I was getting to know.  I miss teaching the last week of school, filling the kids with heartfelt wisdom to help them through life.

I cannot allow myself to go there.  Paul knows all about this.  His old life was a mess, and do you think it did him any good to reflect on killing Christians?  No!  Instead, he writes truth we see in Philippians 3:12-14:

“I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”

Forgetting the past.  Man, that is hard!  I can’t seem to truly forget the pain the past brought me, but I am indeed embracing the future.  I wonder what God has in store for me around the corner. 

Can I tell you a secret?  I never wanted to teach to retirement before this school year.  I wanted to get out of teaching after my boys graduated high school in five years or so to pursue my second career as a writer and speaker.  Those were my plans on the timing.  Not God’s.

Do you know what I think?  I think God said, “Clint, why not start now?  You have dreams of becoming something more in life.  It is time to start that right now.”  Had my last teaching job actually worked out, I don’t think I would have ever wanted to retire.  It was heaven to me!  And I probably would have taught a LOT longer than I originally anticipated. 

My mind has been moving forward and pressing on.  That is not to say that I haven’t been tempted to wonder about what fun it would have been to teach those kids I miss so much.  Believe me, I have thought about them a lot lately.  This is the week I would have been giving them their goodbye notes and filling them with character wisdom.  But I am shoving that hurt behind me and striving for something bigger.  Something better.

I have been networking outside of my work schedule.  One contact has led to another, and I have a promising new acquaintance that could lead me into a new career path that would showcase my skills in writing and speaking.  In the meantime, Amazon is helping pay the bills, and I am finding joy in my work.  As a matter of fact, I would love to move up in the company while I am there.  I mean, why not?

There are some who hear my story and feel sorry for me having to set my alarm for midnight to be out the door by 1:00 am, working a job that makes me feel sore in muscles I didn’t even know I had.  I smile at the thought and tell them to not feel pity.  I am blessed.  As a matter of fact, I want to revisit the original thought I began with above and list those blessings …

1. Working this job has taught me what true humility is.  I used to wonder why some packages received in the mail were crinkled.  Now, having lived the warehouse life for six months, I understand.  I wish everyone could work just one of my shifts to share the same empathy.
2. I got to share a generic version of my testimony with Sam, Ashley, and Jora over break time.  Jora wanted to hear my story, and I asked Sam and Ashley to join us.  It was a beautiful moment.
3. The Lunch Bunch was born!  We started in January at Golden Coral, and since then it has been a plethora of venues: China Buffet, IHOP, Chipotle, Dave’s Hot Chicken, China Buffet, Planet Sub, Abelardo’s, Mo’ Bettahs, and China Buffet.  (Take a guess which one was most popular.)  We need to hit up some Kansas City Joe’s BBQ soon!
4. My two buddies, Vaughn and Warren, have been a blessing to me.  The three of us started Lunch Bunch together, but our friendship runs deeper than just that.  I have never truly befriended any black brothers like them.  Not in my entire life.  They mean the world to me.
5. I got to share the gospel with my friend James.  He said he was broke and didn’t have the money to pay for lunch, so I treated him to Jason’s Deli and shared my story with him.  He didn’t accept Jesus or anything as I witnessed to him, but seeds were planted.  I wonder if they will bear fruit someday.
6. I got to share an intimate version of my testimony with my friend Logan over lunch at Monkey King.  We were both in tears by the end.  Such a memorable moment and a powerful way to let him know I would try to support him in his spiritual walk. 
7. I was awarded Employee of the Month in April!  All they give you is your picture on the wall and a parking spot close to the building, but I learned that one gal likes to take that spot anyways if she beats me.  Still, it felt good to be recognized for my hard work.
8. We have three-day weekends!  While the rest of the world hits their 40-50 hours of work over five days, we get to rest an extra day after putting in four 10-hour shifts in a row. 
9. I got to take Doug out to lunch and hear HIS story at Panda Express.  We connected on a spiritual level, and although it was sad to see him leave Amazon a few weeks later, once again, seeds were planted.
10. My buddy Mohamad!  He was my Muslim brother from another mother, and we totally hit it off.  I enjoyed sharing a bit of my story at Panera with him, and although he moved to New York, we still text one another.  Mohammad, you are the best! 
11. I get to model teamwork and encourage others.  Some outright tell me I should not be helping those who can’t help themselves.  I tell them everyone deserves help.  Jesus lived His life that way.  Helping the lame heal not only physically but also spiritually.  Helping women in a culture that didn’t embrace their status.  Helping gentiles that were being excluded.  I hope that my colleagues see Jesus through my actions.
12. Working at Amazon means I get off Thursday through Saturday, and I have used that time not only to network for a new career but also to enjoy time with friends.  I have worked out regularly with my F3 men on Fridays and followed that with coffee at Sweet Tees with two amazing friends, Mike and Mark.  None of this would happen if I was still teaching.
13. I get exercise at work.  I am talking full body, legs churning, upper body hoisting up to 50 pounds, sweaty, exhausting, hit-the-pillow-and-take-less-than-a-minute-to-fall-asleep work.  Never before have I had workouts like this on the job!
14. I get to meet people from different cultures.  I have friends from Algeria, Cuba, Mexico, Ethiopia, Haiti, France, and tons of small African countries.  The rest of my friends are not your stereotypical Johnson County clientele I grew up with.  Amazon is hands down the most diverse companies I have ever worked for.
15. I get to have conversations with Super.  Yes, his name is Super.  I call him Superman, and the guy makes me smile more than anyone.  We laugh about everything from the Kansas vs. Missouri rivalry to debating the best movies to our favorite random topic: people fighting over red beans and rice.  That doesn’t make sense to you, but it does to Superman, and he will appreciate the shoutout.
16. I get to bum lollipops off Hussein!  The guy keeps them in his pocket, and I began calling him Candyman.  He loves the nickname, although he has never seen the movie.  I only saw it once.  Never again.  When my palate is craving a little sugar, Candyman always delivers!
17. There is nobody who digs talking sports like Bales.  When I need my sports fix, I go to him.  We both graduated from KU and can talk KU basketball till sundown, but it runs deeper than that.  Any sport.  Chiefs football.  Royals.  You name it.  He is a walking history of all things sports. 
18. I get to dress like a gym teacher all day!  Grubby shorts and a ratty T-Shirt are all you need to survive at Amazon, and you will not be ridiculed at all. 
19. I created five different YouTube mixes to listen to on my Amazon approved headphones.  Aint nothing like a little ACDC “Thunderstruck” to motivate you through stowing packages that are falling on you like a never-ending waterfall.
20. I have trained successfully to “work the pad” outside when the trucks arrive, and spring is a mighty fine time of year to be working outside.  I got to taste that beautiful air yesterday!
21. Steve’s jokes are phenomenal.  We have the same goofy sense of humor.  There are times when Steve throws out jokes that only I am laughing at, but whatever.  We just get each other.  And laughing makes the day go that much faster. 
22. Time never seems to drag at Amazon.  I try not to look at my watch, but the busy lifestyle immediately catches, and before you know it you are at the first break.  Then the second.  And finally the third.  Yeah, your body takes a toll physically, but the days pass fast.
23. Glen introduced me to an Amazonian driver by the name of Sanchez.  He had told me this guy was recently baptized and wanted to meet me.  We finally met last week!  Not only did Sanchez and I enjoy two conversations on back-to-back days, but he joined me at my church men’s breakfast last Saturday!
24. I get to laugh with Hera.  Her smile always brightens my day, and she joined us for her first Lunch Bunch this week.  I love making rhymes with her name … like Hera never gives a care-ah, wakes up like a bear-ah, and no her name is not Sarah.  But that is neither here nor there-ah.
25. I have an amazing mentor in Steve.  Not the manager Steve mentioned above that likes to joke.  The worker Steve.  The Steve that knows no limits!  The Steve that runs like the Energizer Bunny 24/7.  Nobody knows the ropes like Steve, and he has taken me under his wing like none other.

Sorry if I missed any close friends!  My teammates mean the world to me.  I could go on and on about them.  But my point is made.  If you are encountering a frustrating time in your life, maybe you could try the same thing.  Count your blessings.  They are out there. 

Sometimes you just need God’s eyes to discover them.