Gloria to God:

Dear God, Lauren's situation at work has been intolerable for a long time. She is the only woman manager there, and she is paid $20,000 a year less than the other managers. Not only that, she was hired with a written agreement that her salary would be raised in three months based on her performance. Not only that, she has taken on the work of people who left the company, so she is literally doing the work of three people. Apparently the CEO has no clue, doesn't value her responsibilities, and does not seem to be acting in good faith.

She spoke to him today. It is clear that it will cost the company much more to hire two or three people to replace her, but the CEO doesn't seem to care. It is also clear that the company wastes that much money every day. It is also clear that there are people there with known poor work performance who receive raises, and here she is so competent and dedicated without the raise she was promised.

It seems undeniable that Lauren has to quit.

Yet money is very tight, dear God, and we are both scared.

A month or more ago I told Lauren she had to quit, and I think she will this time but with great fear of not finding work right away and our being more in debt than we already are.

What will You say, dear God?

God:

There is not much value in staying somewhere because you are afraid to leave. There comes a point where the choice may be salvaging self-respect or selling your self-respect. Lauren has given away enough of herself, her time, her effort, her skills, her devotion without equitable reward. If she says that's okay, why shouldn't they?

This has to do with Lauren's sense of self-worth. She is not a slave in the days of slavery when there was no choice but to make the best of it. She has made the best of it. And she has spoken up admirably. There is a time to stay, and a time to leave.

Lauren knows when that time is.

Some people don't wake up until they have to. That may be Lauren's case, and that could be the case with this CEO. When he sees she is really leaving, he may see more clearly.

Lauren is a most valuable employee.

If her CEO doesn't know that, why would she stay there?

She is not married to this company and this CEO. She has given him more than a fair chance. It is not something she can stay in longer to work out. Apparently he is not willing to work it out. He is not willing. She has no contract here that she would be breaking. She is not leaving the company before she gave it everything she has. She is not acting on an impulse.

There has to be a balance of energy.

Appreciation is energy. Salary is energy. The work she does is energy, and the scale weighs heavily on her side.

Sometimes you just have to speak up for yourself. And when you are not heard, then you take an action.

I urge Lauren to have confidence in herself.

And I ask you, Gloria, to trust in life. Nervousness and fear keep abundance away. Trust in Me, the fulfiller of your needs. It is not Lauren's salary that supports you. You think it is, but it is I Who supports you. Do you not think I can always find a way?

Sense of desperation breeds sense of desperation.

Sense of worth brings sense of worth. Sense of worth calls to itself. Sense of worth inside will manifest in outside.

Tell your dear daughter Lauren to know that good is coming to her. She needs to open more, ask more. Her time has come. She will seek her good, and it will come to her.

Gloria:

Dear God, it seems to me that Lauren should have had good all along.

God:

Yes, but she had to know that.

Gloria:

And, God, why aren't there more subscribers to Heaven?

God:

I have not sent them yet. But masses will come soon enough.

We will talk more on this another time.

Later that day…

Gloria to God:

Dear God, before Lauren left work tonight, before she could write her letter of resignation, her employer came to her with an offer of a raise. He said he had not realized that when she was hired, the company had committed to raising her salary in three months. Of course, it is six months now.

Lauren took that job at a lower salary with the written understanding that she would receive a hefty raise in three months.

What I am thinking is that was her mistake, to have agreed to a lower salary and to make herself wait three months for another salary still lower than she already merited. She accepted less for herself.

God:

Lauren then doubted her own worth. Somewhere there she had that worming doubt. Even overtly, she created this situation. She set herself back. Just her quiet realization of her worth at the beginning, and her worth to that company, would have allowed her to receive her entitled salary in the first place and prevented this situation.

Now that her sense of self-worth has become greater, the outside is forced to change.

You know that this was not a question of the salary as much as it was recognition of her worth. No longer can she sell herself short. No longer can she not acknowledge her own value.

* * *

Diane to God:

Dear God, what a fantastic powerful message for us all in Your August 19 reply to Steven. I feel like I have just been to a pep rally! Thank You.

Joyce to Heavenletters:

I was interested to read God's answer to Steven, especially to see how God's advice is different for different people. I have a rather aggressive personality, and God's advice to me would be: "You don't need to strive." For Steven, who is more passive, God says, "Get moving!"

Thanks for Heavenletters!