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For eight years, Michael had been one of the most dependable employees in his department.
He knew the work.
He solved problems quickly.
He helped new employees.
Whenever his manager was away, people naturally came to Michael with questions.
So when the manager retired, Michael applied for the position.
He got it.
On Friday, everyone congratulated him.
By Monday morning, Michael was wondering if he’d made a terrible mistake.
His new office was only a few steps from his old desk, but somehow everything felt different.
Before, Michael had been responsible for his own work.
Now twelve people depended on him.
Before, he could complain about management decisions.
Now he had to make them.
Before, difficult customers eventually became someone else’s problem.
Now they were sent directly to him.
By Wednesday, two employees had argued.
A major order was late.
His boss wanted a report he’d never prepared before.
And someone had requested vacation during the busiest week of the year.
Michael sat behind his desk staring at his computer.
I can’t do this.
That evening, he visited his father.
“How’s the big promotion?” Dad asked.
“Terrible.”
Michael explained everything.
“I thought I’d be good at this.”
“You’ve been doing it for three days.”
“I know, but I feel completely out of my depth.”
Dad smiled.
“Come with me.”
He took Michael into the garage and pointed toward an old wooden chair.
“Remember this?”
Michael laughed.
It was the chair Dad had built years earlier when he’d first started woodworking.
The seat was uneven.
One leg had been repaired twice.
“It’s awful,” Michael said.
“It certainly is.”
Dad pointed toward a beautiful cabinet on the other side of the garage.
“And I made that last year.”
Michael nodded.
“What’s your point?”
“When I built the chair, I was already a woodworker.”
Dad smiled.
“I just wasn’t an experienced one yet.”
Michael became quiet.
“You keep thinking that because you got the manager’s job, you’re supposed to instantly know how to be a manager.”
Dad shook his head.
“You earned the opportunity to learn the role. You didn’t magically receive ten years of experience with the title.”
That sentence stayed with Michael.
The next morning, he walked into his office differently.
The problems were still there.
But instead of pretending he knew everything, he started asking questions.
He called an experienced manager for advice.
He asked his boss to explain the unfamiliar report.
He apologized when he handled a disagreement poorly.
He began keeping notes about what worked and what didn’t.
Slowly, the role became less frightening.
Not easy.
Just more familiar.
Months passed.
Michael learned how to have difficult conversations.
How to make decisions people wouldn’t always like.
How to delegate instead of trying to do everything himself.
How to admit mistakes without losing confidence.
And how to leave some problems at work instead of carrying them home every evening.
A year later, a young employee named Sarah received a promotion.
On her second week, she knocked on Michael’s door.
“I think I made a mistake taking this job.”
Michael smiled.
“Too much?”
She nodded.
“I feel like I should know what I’m doing.”
Michael leaned back in the chair that had once felt far too big for him.
“No,” he said. “You should be learning what you’re doing.”
Sarah looked relieved.
Michael finally understood something about growth.
We often pray for opportunities without realizing that opportunities come with weight.
A promotion brings decisions.
Parenthood brings responsibility.
Leadership brings criticism.
Starting a business brings uncertainty.
Marriage brings compromise.
Caring for family brings sacrifice.
Even achieving something you’ve wanted for years can create pressure you weren’t expecting.
That pressure doesn’t automatically mean you made the wrong choice.
Sometimes it means the role is stretching you.
Of course, asking for help, setting boundaries, resting, and recognizing when a situation is genuinely unhealthy still matter.
But don’t assume that feeling uncomfortable means you don’t belong.
Give yourself permission to be new.
Ask questions.
Make adjustments.
Learn.
Grow.
You don’t have to enter every new chapter already knowing how to handle everything it contains.
Sometimes the chair feels too big simply because you haven’t had enough time to grow comfortable sitting in it yet. 💛
