Phoenix Part 6: Time to react to some problems. WOW!

So I have started a new position as General Manager of a great hotel in Glendale, AZ, I was in a great relationship with a God fearing woman and had great friendships around to keep me grounded. Things were going very well early 2007. Then I was reminded that this life is not easy.

I had just gotten back from my first GM conference when we had to deal with two major issues at the hotel with employees. I will not get into details here as that is not the important part of things. Two employees had to be let go and it was my first time doing this in my life. I had known others who had been let go and heard of others firing people. However, firing two people in 48 hours was gut check time for a rookie GM. I remember sitting there on a Sunday morning after it all went down and I was in shock. My assistant GM came in a few minutes after the employee left and must have thought someone died in my life. In a way, something did die in me.

When I say that, it is not a bad thing. I think what died in me that day was the idea of innocence. During my stints at jobs up to this point (bagger, cashier, camp director, student activities and baseball), it was always someone else who had to handle these things with the trouble employees. Never did I think I was going to have to be in that position. That is for grown-ups, not Travis. Now, I was one of these grown-ups.

If you asked my parents, when I was growing up and that term is used very loosely, I wanted to be an adult ASAP. Heck, my grades in college were not the greatest but when it came to working, I could hold my own. But now, I was the one making these personal decisions, not someone else.

As well as having these issues coming up at the hotel, a friend of mine and myself encountered a major issue in our lives. FYI: all of these challenges came up in a 10 day span of each other. A few of you know what happened and those are the people that need to know exactly what happened. It was s struggle I faced for a few months and my friend faced for over a year. I was trying to figure out what was going on and how I could have been on top of the world and things were crashing in on me. Then I got my daily verse right in the middle of all of these things going on.

James 1:2-5 ^"2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. ⁴Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. ⁵If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." NIV

WOW. We always seem to complain when we go through trials. "Why God? How could you let this happen? Where are you God?" I was always one of those people who would get frustrated with God when "bad" things happened.

However, how could this be God's fault since He is perfect and has this CRAZY love for his children?? Go back to a comment a made a few paragraphs ago: I was trying to figure out what was going on and how I could have been on top of the world and things were crashing in on me. I am not the one who is on top of the world. God is that one. God's love is what gets us through these trials that we, as sinners, create. God did not choose for each situation I was going through to happen. He knew that it was going to break me and man alive did it!

I am never of fan of letting associates go, especially good associates; however, I started to become a seasoned pro at it. The difference I realize now though is there are bigger challenges out there that I will be facing in life and to understand that He is always there to hold me tight. What an awesome Father we are blessed to praise!

Phoenix Part 7: Washington DC, a special trip to St. Louis, and wildest weekend of my life up to that point!