Adopt a Desk

It’s Who you Know
Last week my coworkers and I moved into our newly-remodeled offices. The construction project has kept me busy over these past three months. As operations manager, I’ve been busy coordinating with contractors, carpet-layers and cable technicians, for example, along with all my “regular” tasks.

As moving day approached, I began working on finding a new home for our old furniture. We had taken it with us to our tiny “swing space” where we’d been working since December. But new, updated, espresso-colored desks were on the way. My mission was to arrange the old furniture’s removal on moving day.

One business goal of this task was to spend as little money as possible; another goal was to avoid sending serviceable items to landfill. I hoped to avoid a parade of Craigslist readers trooping through our crowded temporary offices to examine the offerings. And we needed to use the old furniture until the day we moved, so timing was crucial.

A few weeks before moving day, I met our telephone service vendor’s technicians at our construction site to review the placement of our data and voice cables. As we walked to the door, I offhandedly said, “Either of you need a desk? We’re getting rid of all our old stuff.” One of them replied, “We’re getting ready to expand our offices. You should give Ken a call.”

I phoned Ken. I emailed photos of the furniture. We discussed scheduling. On moving day, after the technicians had relocated our phone and network services to our old, now new, offices, the telephone service guys loaded all our old furniture into a truck and took it to their warehouse, where they’ll store it until they are ready to use it.

I spent no money. Ken’s company has furniture waiting for the day they need it. I didn’t have to escort hordes of looky-loos through our offices, and I didn’t have piles of unwanted furniture to haul to the dump.

In other words, I blurted out a question and received a fully-satisfying solution to a problem.

I need to remember the furniture-rehoming episode when I pray. God specializes in everything. But I need to ask Him for what I need.

6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7 (NASB)