DailySusan Humor Blog

I KNOW WHO YOU ARE

I am the good shepherd,
and know my sheep,
and am known by mine.
-- John 10:14

The pharmacist had been stressed out at work lately. To make things worse, her manager had an "all about ME" attitude. All she cared about was her bonus, and whatever it took to make it bigger. She was "getting" to the entire crew.

The pharmacist is a born-again Christian, but every time she mentions faith matters, the boss gets downright surly. That stuff’s not scientific, or important to the bottom line.

So the pharmacist gets hammered a lot as a department manager reporting to this rather unpleasant boss. Her co-workers don’t know how she takes it. Her motivation is the people she truly works for -- the patients. Serving them, and encouraging them along the way, is what she’s all about.

Well, recently, she marked her 33rd anniversary with the same company, an amazing achievement in this day and age. It was just another day as far as management was concerned, and she knew that. But a simple, "Hey, congratulations!" would have gone a long way.

It had been a terribly busy day. Near the end of her long shift, she had a conversation with a nurse about a patient who was just being dismissed. They had to call each other back a couple of times to make arrangements for prescriptions. Then the wife of the patient came in. They talked about the medications and what to expect.

The pharmacist, ever friendly, asked her about her unusual middle initial, "Q,” which turned out to be for “Quinn.” The customer thanked the pharmacist for all the work she had done with the nurse to make her husband’s meds affordable. They talked about his condition and his heart catheter. They talked about his emotional state, and hers. Then the wife left.

The next day, someone called to speak to "a supervisor.” The pharmacist took the call. A woman said, "I have never done this before, but I wanted to launch a compliment." How refreshing! Then the customer said, "I didn't get the pharmacist's name, but she was wonderful!!! She was short, with dark brown hair almost to her shoulders, and it was 9:45 p.m. . . .”

The pharmacist said, "And you are Marilyn Quinn!"

The caller gasped, "Was that YOU?" Then she asked to speak to HER supervisor, so the pharmacist shifted the call to her crabby boss, smiling a little about the praise that would be lavished in her behalf.

During that day, she had to go into the office twice, but the boss said NOTHING to her. She regretted not having shifted the caller to the district office instead.

The other pharmacists were livid that the boss said nothing. She started getting angry herself, about fielding a patient compliment on her 33rd anniversary, and no one cared, NO one. . . .

She fumed and griped to herself, walking angrily through the drugstore . . .

. . . and as she passed the Robitussin section, a still, small voice said quietly, "I know who you are."

She didn’t even break stride. She continued to rant and rave to herself about how unfair it all was . . . what is the point of trying so hard . . .

. . . and the voice said, "I know who you are."

By then, she was in front of the vitamins, muttering, "Yeah, sure, YOU know, but THEY don't know OR care, and it isn't asking TOO much to be told something GOOD once in a while . . . some MINOR praise in a SEA of turmoil” . . .

. . . and the quiet voice simply repeated, "I know who you are."

She stopped short. What had just happened finally sank in.

HE KNOWS WHO I AM! THE GOD OF THE UNIVERSE!!!

She said out loud, "And that IS enough, Lord."

The hurt was instantly gone. She went back to work, smiling.

There’s nothing like a supernatural “Atta girl” to get you back on track . . . just the right medicine for a sick and tired spirit, from the Great Physician who always knows the right Rx.

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Prayer request: There’s a husband named John who fervently seeks prayer about his marriage and family. He prays that his wife Martha will leave sin and choose holiness now and forever in Jesus’ name. He pleads that his marriage and family will be restored, healed and made better than ever. Savior Lord, it is so inspiring to hear from a husband who knows what his main job is, here on earth – to make his marriage work in order to glorify You. Reveal Yourself in this situation and work in their hearts to bring them to You for the changes they need so that they can live happily ever after. (Ephesians 5:25)