Hope Goes Undercover

Except for sports and the news, I watch little TV. But one show intrigues me, and I am beginning to become a fan.

“Undercover Boss” creates a situation where the boss disguises himself or herself and goes undercover to discover how the business really works.

Usually the boss realizes that working in the factory or in customer service is much more difficult than it looks. And in the process, the boss discovers who the best workers are, who has true passion for the work and which employees need some coaching to improve.

As the boss and the employees relate, personal stories are revealed which usually include some tragedies or hard luck experiences.

My favorite part of the show happens when the boss reveals herself and then rewards the employees with whatever they need – usually something life-changing: a mortgage paid off, a new car or a college education.

The employee cries, and so do I.

This show empathizes with those who work hard yet receive little incentive until the boss magically shows up and gifts them.

So many times in life, we do things that go unnoticed. We silently forgive someone who has wounded us without talking about the offense. We show up early for work and stay late, do someone else’s work and let them take the credit. We toil behind the scenes while someone else steals the show and the applause.

Many of us agonize in prayer, then rejoice when the answer comes while no one knows how long we persevered on our knees.

Yet there is a heavenly Boss who sees everything we do and knows the motivation behind our behavior. He knows about the man who works hard to provide for his family or the single mom who struggles to save pennies so her children will have a Christmas.

The heavenly Boss sees the perseverance, the weary warrior who continues to pray, the employee who remains honest even while others steal from the company.

Our holy God sees every tear, hears every prayer, feels every rejection and understands every heartache. He sometimes rewards us on earth when we get to see prayers answered and miracles performed.

But most of the rewards will surprise us in heaven when the curtain is pulled on our earthly lives and the Divine will bless us eternally with his resources.

It is that hope that keeps us working and persevering even when it’s hard and we seem to go unnoticed.

If we can just keep our focus on what is to come, we can live each day with the assurance that someday the Boss will reveal Himself and smile at our efforts.

I’m looking forward to that day. How about you?

©2015 RJ Thesman – author of the Reverend G books – http://amzn.to/1rXlCyh