This past February I started a new sales career for Clayton Homes. We are the largest home builder in the United States specializing in Manufactured and Modular Homes. Me landing at Clayton was most definitely a God thing. As a single Dad I needed a position in a company that would afford me flexibility and also that was conducive with my daughters schedule and have me home nightly.
I had been looking for a job frantically as my unemployment had run out and the job I was suppose to start at Stockyard Meat Company disappeared due to reasons beyond my control. I sent out my resume and visited all kinds of different business. My prayer life was in overdrive as my savings was just about drained. All of a sudden I received two calls for interviews on the same day. Oh how I was praising God for my phone ringing.
The first interview was at a furniture store at 11AM and at 11:30AM I was offered the sales position. I immediately accepted and was asked to start in two weeks. My only concern was I would have to work on Sundays. I figured God would figure it out for me as He had just gifted me this job.
My second interview was at Clayton at 2PM. It went well but I was told if I scored well on the test I would receive a call in a week for another interview. Oh how I really wanted this job at Clayton. Even though I would have split days off and the housing market was in the toilet I just knew this was a better fit immediately. For starters I would always have Sunday's off as they believed Sunday's were for God and family. I told Steve whom had interviewed me that I had just accepted another job 3 hours earlier but I would prefer to work for Clayton. He told me that he was going to recommend me for the position but he really had no say on the matter. Steve also suggested if I get called back to a second interview with David the store manager that I should not mention the other job offer.
A couple days later I received a call to come in and meet David. David and I hit it off instantly. I quickly discovered that David was on the leadership team at New Bridge, a church I had considered joining a few months prior. We also discovered we had some mutual friends in common. What a great interview this turned out to be but yet David was not at liberty to make the final hiring decision either. I went against the advice Steve had offered and told David about the other job offer and also confided that I would prefer to work for Clayton as well. David suggested that I follow my heart and do what was best for my daughter and I as he couldn't guarantee me a job as I had to wait and meet his two immediate managers and they were going to fly in the next week to conduct the final interviews.
I started praying like crazy for God to lead me. I already had the sure thing at the furniture store but my heart was telling me Clayton was where I needed to be. I felt that the furniture store was going to be a job until I could move forward with my sales career but Clayton was a career opportunity. After praying about it for days I was running out of time.
Finally the day came that I was interviewed by the Regional Manager and West Coast Zone President for Clayton and it went great. They told me as long as I passed the drug screen and background check I was hired. I had no fear about the drug screen but the background check was a concern. After all I had not lived a clean and Christian lifestyle for very long. I talked to David about my concerns on the background check and he said it was up to HR and God at this point.
I was three days from starting at the furniture store and after many hours of prayer I felt God was leading me to a scary place. I walked into the furniture store and spoke to the manager and told him I needed a few more days as I had been offered another job and was confused by what I was to do and where I would be working. There was a risk that he would say never mind and good luck. I was pleasantly surprised when he told me he would give me a week to decide and then he followed by selling me on why I should sell furniture. WOW, God had my back once again!
Now it was taking Ray in HR forever to order my background and drug test. I quickly realized that I had to make a decision before I officially was hired by Clayton. I prayed about it and out of complete faith gave it to God and went back to the furniture store and thanked them for the opportunity and told them I was taking the other job. It was five business days later before I finally got the official word from Clayton and I knew that I was tested on my faith in the Lord and had passed with flying colors.
I immediately loved my new job and sold my first house on my 3rd day (there is that 3 again) to a great Christian lady. I was welcomed as part of a very tight team and everyone was so willing to help train me on selling houses.
In the first 5 months I wrote up about 10 sales but 8 of them fell apart. I was getting very discouraged and started to wonder if I had made a terrible mistake. Even though I knew God brought me to Clayton in part to be mentored by my Christian leader and manager David, I was really getting angry at how hard it was to make any money selling houses when all of my deals were unwinding.
I met with David and told him I was considering looking for another job in mid August as I was tired of being broke. David told me he was going to cross the line and ask me some questions that were none of his business. I told him that I respected him enough to feel free to ask anything. He asked me very frankly if I was tithing at church or just making an offering? I immediately answered with, how in the world could I tithe on the weekly draw I get? David challenged me to start tithing and let God prove to me that I couldn't afford not to tithe.
That Sunday I went to church and dropped a check for ten percent of my gross income for that month. Within the next 3 days I sold 2 more houses. I have since sold more homes that are good deals that will get to the finish line and have had two more houses close. We don't get paid until the house closes.
Today I get to go to church and drop the largest check I have ever written to God and it feels wonderful. The best part is that I know in the future God will keep giving more opportunities to give back to him not just in my tithes but also in sharing my gifts that he has blessed me with.
I thank God daily for bringing me to work at Clayton Homes. I thank him daily for the friendship and mentoring that David has enriched my life with. I thank Him daily for the growth and maturity I have been receiving and all the blessings I have been given. I thank Jesus for my weekly pay that I am given and how amazing it is that He only wants to keep a tenth and desires me to take the rest. I am so blessed and have been taught so much about faith in my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
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