Some time ago, our manager told us at the meeting, “After this monthly summary, our company staff will be deployed. Some with bad business will work at the grassroots and others with good business will work at the company’s headquarters. Therefore, come on, everybody!” Only capable and experienced people could work at the company’s headquarters. Thinking that my performance was bad before and was not improved until I groped for some ways of business recently, and that the manager said the people with good business could be transferred to the company’s headquarters, I must try my best to improve performance so that I might work at the company’s headquarters.   

Half a month later, the manager told me that the company’s leader would arrange for me to work at the company’s headquarters, and asked me to hand my work over to others those days and afterward wait for the phone call. I would never dream that I could go to the company’s headquarters to work in such a short time, which made me very happy. My colleagues looked at me admiringly as well. In order to show my ability to them, I made a resolution in my heart that I must strive for a high achievement. Two days later, when I finished handing over my job, the manager suddenly sent me a message that I would work at the Sales Department for the lack of personnel there. Seeing the message, I was very sad and lost my temper: Originally he said that I would be transferred to the company’s headquarters to work. But why does he arrange for me to work at the Sales Department now? The business of the Sales Department is quite different from that of the company’s headquarters.? In addition, there is narrow space for development and few opportunities for advancement. Then I won’t have chances to work at the company’s headquarters in the future. Alas, my colleagues have known that I will work at the company’s headquarters, but now I am transferred to the Sales Department unexpectedly. How does this make them think of me? The more I thought about it, the more oppressive I was: If I don’t go, I am afraid that the leader will consider I am disobedient; if I go, I have to lose my face. Is it the company’s leader’s thought or the manager’s that he intentionally transfers me in order that I can’t go to the headquarters? I felt extremely upset and suffocated. My dash entirely disappeared. Weak and limp, I went home.

When I was distressed, the thought crossed my mind that facing anything untoward I should pray to God and seek God’s guidance. Then I came before God to pray, “O God! I feel very depressed. Originally the manager arranged for me to work at the company’s headquarters, but now he suddenly changes his mind. I can’t accept it. O God! I know all matters and all things are in Your hand. May God guide me to understand Your will so that I can put aside my desires and obey Your designs and arrangements.” After praying, I saw a passage of God’s words, “As soon as it involves position, face, or reputation, everyone’s heart leaps in anticipation, and you always want to stand out, to be famous, to be glorified. … Is not a person’s falling into these conditions a trap? This is the bondage of a satanically corrupted nature.” God’s words woke me up: Is this the kind of person that I am? Hearing the manager say that people who had high performance could work at the company’s headquarters, I made an effort to improve performance in order to get promotion. When the manager really told me to work at the company’s headquarters, I was ecstatic and made a resolve to achieve good results so as to let the leader see my ability. However, when I was transferred to the Sales Department, I became entirely weak just like a deflated rubber ball because of no opportunity for honor. It turned out that this all was due to the binds of satanic nature on me, which made me blindly pursue fame, gain and status. When I didn’t get it, I lived in pain and depression that I was not able to extricate myself from it.

I saw more of God’s words, “How are these things cast off? Do you have a solution? First, you must see through them, and then you must learn to give up these things and set them aside. If you are always focusing on these things, always struggling for these things, if your heart is fully occupied and filled by these things, if you never want to put them aside and you always harbor them without putting them aside, then you are being controlled by and bound by these things. You have become a slave, and you cannot give them up. … The more you give up and set aside, the more peaceful your heart will be and the more space will open up within it, and the more your condition will improve. The more you struggle and compete, the darker will be your condition; try it if you don’t believe it. If you want to turn around this kind of condition, if you want not to be controlled by these things, then you must first set them aside and give them up.” God’s words made me realize: Pursuing to be looked up to by others and living for face and status are contrary to God’s demands and make us live more and more painfully. To get rid of the sufferings and not to be controlled and bound by Satan’s corrupt nature, we have to come before God, truly rely on and look upon God, go by God’s words and set aside fame and status, and then we will attain liberation and freedom. After understanding God’s will, I was not angry and sad unconsciously. I was also willing to humble myself, submit to God’s orchestration and arrangement, and work at the Sales Department.

After arriving at the Sales Department, I put myself into all types of business very soon and did my job with all my heart and strength, no longer considering what other people said. When I did not seek the fame and status any more, but humbled myself, and practiced according to God’s words, my heart was filled with peace and joy. After a period of time, I learned a lot at the Sales Department and gradually had a knowledge of previous unfamiliar business. At that moment, I experienced that whatever we face, no matter whether it conforms with our thoughts, first we should accept and obey, pray and seek God’s guidance, and then will see that God’s arrangement is beneficial to us and most suitable and best.

Not long after, at a staff meeting, the company’s leader let us express our own opinions about the development of the new program. When I shared my opinion, the leader saw that I was familiar with the business and that my idea was quite novel, and he directly arranged for me to go to work at the company’s headquarters. At that moment, I calmed down and thought: If I did not study at the Sales Department for some time, I would not be competent for the work of the company’s headquarters and this would be disadvantageous to both the company and me. Thinking back this adjustment of my work, I seems to lose my face and status but there is peace and sureness in my heart; my technique has improved as well. At the same time, I also realize: Face and status are just a temporary glory and they are empty and meaningless. Only by living according to God’s words can we have a relaxed and free life; only by obeying God’s arrangement can we acquire His guidance and blessings.