Ten Times the Payback
Feb 19, 2020
In my years of doing business and in the corporate world, I encountered my fair share of injustice, like many of you I am sure; often losing out to people who are tricky, nasty or downright unscrupulous, like political co-workers, dishonest bosses, jealous superiors, underhanded competitors, unfair rules, and the list goes on.
One thing the Lord taught me was to hand it all over to Him, for He hates injustice just as much as I do, if not more. Best of all, He is the ultimate Judge, and He ensures there is payback, fairly and squarely.
And one thing I discovered, at least for myself, when I let it go and let God, He pays back about ten times each time.
A Jealous Boss
Let me cite one example that happened many years back.
When my American boss was promoted to Managing Director and posted to the Head Office, he approved my request to transfer from being Director of Finance to a Director of Marketing position in Singapore for a new project in Malaysia.
I took a basic pay cut in lieu of an incentive scheme based on sales performance. I reported to a British General Manager. About a week into this new job, I sensed some undercurrents between us. I went up to him to ask why. He admitted he was unhappy about my pay package, which was approved by the MD, his boss, of which he had no say in it.
I asked him – what would be the amount he would be happy to pay me? He stated the price, which was more than a $3000 cut from my last monthly pay! I was a bit unhappy about it. It was way below the market value of the position and of my calibre. Maybe he was simply out to get rid of me, hoping I would quit. I told him I would think about it.
A Leaky Cabrio in the Storm
Driving out for lunch in my very old and battered Fiat Cabrio (I love cabriolets!) together with three of my sales managers, I pondered the question that was heavy on my mind. If I didn’t acquiesce to his request, he would surely give me a hard time in this new job. I could always return to my old job. But I knew that God was the one who granted me the transfer, to make that career switch from finance into marketing.
That was when I heard God say to me, “Take the pay cut, Sara. What the unrighteous do to you, I will pay back many times more.”
At that moment, a storm suddenly hit while I was still driving. It was pouring outside. Rats!
You see, every time it rained, my Cabrio would leak like a waterfall everywhere; the car was old and the weather-beaten soft top didn’t quite fit anymore. The best thing to do was either not to drive in the rain at all, or to dash into a covered carpark. But here I was, stuck in traffic on Shenton Way, the busiest part of the CBD, while it was raining cats and dogs.
My three managers whipped out their tissue papers, ready to plug as many leaks as they could, for experience had told them what it was going to be like.
At that very moment, God continued, “If you trust me Sara, not one drop of rain shall get into your car.”
I told my staff, tissues still in their hands, what God had just said.
And truly, not one drop got in at all — not even one! I finally drove into the carpark, safe and dry, with a couple of bewildered people in my car.
Trust and Obey
I accepted the pay cut without question, nor with any bad feelings, giving my best for the project, for God had spoken.
In that year, I went on to launch a very successful marketing program for this project, reaping more than RM90m (about US$20m then) in revenue for the company within two months, beating 25 other projects that they ran.
And my incentive for that year – was ten times what I had given up!
This has repeated itself quite often: the ‘ten-times payback’, I like to call it.
Best of all, in that project, my staff enjoyed a huge jump in their sales commissions as well, setting some of the women free from the financial difficulties they were facing. Today, all three of them in the car who have personally experienced the power of God have come to believe, and I suspect it might have started from that fateful day in my leaky Cabrio!
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:
