Built to Last
Jalen Johnson was one of Brightwood Insurance Company’s young bright business analyst. One Monday morning after giving a powerful presentation to senior management, Jalen felt an overwhelming sense of pride and accomplishment. Thunderous applause erupted around the room as he took his seat amongst the corporate elite. The company experienced several rocky months, but now finally appeared to be slowly getting back on track– at least that’s what Greg Barton, the CFO of the organization said in a lengthy email sent to all Brightwood associates.
Many people in the organization felt the squeeze. Jalen let out a sigh of relief when the CFO reiterated those sentiments when he took to the podium to talk to the group. He was thankful the light at the end of the tunnel began to shimmer in the distance. That raise might finally come after all, Jalen reasoned within. Jalen’s phone suddenly vibrated. He slid the phone out of his pocket to see who it was. “Damn,” he said to himself when he noticed the 800 number. It was the mortgage company again. They had been calling quite a bit as of late.
Jalen crept out of the meeting and found a vacant conference room to get some privacy.
“Mr. Johnson, hi its Integrity Home-loans. Is this a good time to talk?”
His heart began to thump. His throat became dry.
“Yes ma’am, right now is good,” he replied. “We’ve been playing phone tag.”
“Yes, I see,” the lady on the other end said. “We’re calling to collect the past due payment.”
“Oh yes about that payment, I’m planning to make double payments until we get caught up. Things have been pretty rough at the job, you know how this economy has been.”
“Mr. Johnson, unfortunately, we need the full past due today or we’ll have to proceed with the filing.”
“Filing?”
“Yes, Mr. Johnson, the eviction filing.”
“There must be something we can do to extend it again. I told you, I went through a rough patch, but things are clearing up,” Jalen said becoming frustrated with the exchange. “Please don’t do this to me. I have a family,” Jalen pleaded. “Alright, look, I just need a little more time, If you give me a few more weeks, I’ll get the money to you.”
“Mr. Johnson, we’ve extended as much as we can. I’m sorry. There’s nothing more I can do for you.”
“Don’t do this ma’am. Have a heart. The holidays are coming up. What am I going to tell my family? This is my life! You can’t wait just a few more weeks, I know you can.”
“The only way I can stop the filing is if we process a payment today.”
“I can’t make a payment today,” Jalen said in a quiet tone.
“I’m truly sorry it had to come to this. I…”
The mortgage company rep wouldn’t budge. Jalen disconnected the call while the lady was still speaking. He’d heard enough. He stood there, in the middle of the empty room, feeling defeated and nearly sick to his stomach. Jalen had a wife and a five-year-old daughter whom he loved dearly. It wasn’t supposed to go down like this. Jalen cursed the pay cut he was asked to take to help the company during one of its darkest periods. Now facing eviction after falling behind on the mortgage, now more than ever, Jalen felt like an epic failure.
He wiped a loose tear from his eye and thought of how he was going to tell his wife. Although his wife understood their financial situation intimately, Jalen believed as a man, it was his job to do whatever it took to keep the family afloat.
***
When it rains, it pours. Just when it seems like things couldn’t get any worse, everything does. Damn. It’s rough. It’s crazy. There we are standing amongst the ashes of our hopes and dreams. Once the smoke clears we’re left alone in the aftermath of yet another setback. We feel like we’re on the verge of dying. Can our heart take another hit and keep beating, we wonder. The proverbial walls of Jericho have crumbled and we’re rummaging through the debris searching for the light of day, yet again. It ain’t fair. It ain’t right. What have we done to deserve such hardships? Life pokes its ugly ribbed tongue at us, daring us to do something about it when in-fact life knows we feel powerless.
Painful thoughts come rolling in like a flood when we reach this breaking point, just like Jalen in the story above. “I’m through. This is it. There’s no point in trying to fix this. I’m finished now. Everyone’s going to think I’m a failure.” These are some of things we may say to ourselves. Jalen certainly did. He was confronted with a devastating situation that he believed was impossible to overcome at the moment.
During tough times in life, it’s important to understand that no matter what we face, we were built to last. There have been periods of my life where I thought I would never make it and when I look back, I am empowered by the fact that I did. If you’re reading this piece, that means you’re still standing; you’re still alive. You’ve overcome before and you’ll overcome again. Jalen felt like his world was ending, but little did he know it was merely a bump in the journey of his life. The same goes for you. Your situation will not define the entirety of your life; it’s only temporary.
I want you to take a deep breathe and remind yourself of all the other times you’ve made it through. I encourage you today to keep your eyes on your dreams and your vision of a triumphant tomorrow. There will come a day when your past pain will be the very thing that will propel you to greatness. Trouble won’t last always. Tough days make our great days feel meaningful. You may feel like you’re folding under the pressure, but rest assured you’re much stronger than you think. You’re powerful. You’re an overcomer. But above all, always remember this, you were built to last.