To Obey Is Better Than To Sacrifice Your Paper Route

Rob had been delivering papers since entering the eighth grade at Little Flower School, and was now in his junior year at Archbishop Curley High School.  He found that there was an opening for a dishwasher at the local bakery where Anne had been working. His job hours would be after school, and Saturdays and Sundays. Rob really wanted this job; he loved the idea of sleeping through the night and not having to be in bed before 9 p.m. He applied for the job and we all prayed.  As we prayed, we sensed that this was the job for him.  Yet later that day, Rob received a call advising him that the job had gone to another young man.  We were all disappointed, but thanked God that His will was being done, even though we didn't understand.

Later during the week, Gene Slater, Rob's boss for the paper delivery, called to ask me to remind Rob to serve the papers the way he had told Rob to do.  Rob had his own ideas about the way to serve the papers, and not the way Mr. Slater wanted. We talked to Rob about being obedient and told him it was right and admirable to discuss with his boss his ideas, but to stay on the job, he needed to be obedient to the authority over him unless his boss was asking him to do something morally or ethically wrong.  We also told him that it was in that obedience that God would bless him.  

The next week, he followed Mr. Slater's directions, and that Thursday the bakery called and asked if Rob still wanted the job since the other young man did not prove satisfactory. Rob worked at the bakery for the remainder of the time he was in high school.