When no one else will do …

Have you ever had a boss utter the veiled threat, “Everyone is expendable”?

The cold comment is a passive-aggressive way of reminding employees there’s many more people who can do your job. Of course, finding the right person for a job can be more challenging than you think. Fortunately, the process of applying for a job and/or submitting a resume helps employers weed out potential trouble.

Have you read some of the things people actually write on applications or include in resumes?

Dean O’bryan collected some of the more eye-opening things people have actually written on a job application or included in their resume. These tidbits include the following:

Under the “qualifications” line on a resume: ‘I was wholly responsible for two failed financial institutions.” That might be more information than the person realized he was giving. Another one from the “too much information” category, someone wrote, “I intentionally omit my salary history. I’ve made money and I’ve lost money! I’ve been rich and I’ve been poor. I prefer being rich!”

In a similar vein was this one: “I’m a man filled with passion and integrity, I can act on short notice. I’m a class act and do not come cheap!” Another person, proud of past accomplishments, wrote, “I have an excellent track record, even though I’m not a horse!”

There were others who revealed things without saying them. One person attached a note to a resume saying, “Please do not misconstrue my 14 jobs as ‘job-hopping.’ I have never quit a job in my life!” Really? Then there was the person who completed a question this way: Number of dependents – 40!

There’s this answer on an application question, asking about the “reason for leaving last position.” One person answered, “My supervisor expected everyone in the office no later than 8:45 a.m. I refuse to work under those circumstances!” One lady said the reason she left her last job was for “maturity leave.”

A prospective employer needs to be able to contact the applicant. One guy wrote, “I’m loyal to my employer at all costs — please feel free to contact me on my office voice mail.” Finally, under “references” one person wrote, “None – I’ve left a path of destruction in my wake!”

Finding the right person for a job can be a challenge, especially the more “specialized” a position is. But regardless of the task, there’s always more than one person who is qualified for the position and could do the job.

Except for this one time in history.

It was when a great job needed to be completed — the work of finding the right person who could mediate reconciliation between God and all of humanity, who had become separated from God because of sin.

That rift had to be fixed.

But in that case, there wasn’t a pool of qualified applicants to choose from, there was only One qualified and capable for this mission:

“For, There is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity — the man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time,” 1 Timothy 2:5-6.

Christmas marks Jesus showing up to begin the journey toward carrying out a job only He was qualified for.

People get excited or are flooded with feelings of relief when a plumber, or electrician, or other qualified worker finally shows up on their doorstep when a much needed repair has impaired their quality of life. No wonder there is a burst of joy from heaven when the only One qualified to mediate our reconciliation with God enters the world.

“That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. ‘Don’t be afraid!’ he said. ‘I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior — yes, the Messiah, the Lord — has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.’ Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others — the armies of heaven — praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased,'” Luke 2:8-14.

The fully qualified and capable Mediator had arrived.

That was the first Christmas.

Scotty