Overcoming Workplace Drama

A woman came to me recently, red faced and so angry she could hardly contain herself. Words were rolling out of her mouth so rampantly that I couldn’t even inquire after the problem. She paused slightly here and there to take a quick breath and to apologize for a few choice words, which happened to be offensive and poor choices indeed, but continued on as if to unload stuff that had been building up within her for quite some time. When she finally calmed down enough for me to deduce exactly what had transpired, I learned that she had been promised a position at her job that had been given to someone new. In her opinion, it was all done underhandedly; and she was enraged, disappointed, and hurt to receive this kind of treatment from a company where she had demonstrated the upmost loyalty.

One might expect this behavior from a person who hasn’t been a Christian long, or from someone who isn’t a Christian at all, but this woman has been in the faith long enough to be considered a seasoned veteran. The word ‘seasoned’ doesn’t necessarily mean that a person has had more than a few years on this earth, and it’s not a word with negative connotations. It’s a good word that should describe a person that is experienced, wise, and carries in their hearts the testimony of a life lived well. 

In Matthew 5:13 The Message (MSG), Jesus Christ said, “Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth.”  This is profound to say the least. There are so many people walking around without a clue as to why they were created or what they are placed on this earth to do, and here in Matthew 5:13, Jesus Christ settles it all. Jesus is teaching us about what it means to be so well-seasoned with the goodness of God that we bring out the God-flavors of the earth. This should be the goal of everyone who is blessed to walk in God’s love.

Those that are young in Christ may have an excuse to sprinkle a little salt, become bland, and lose flavor. As they hear more of God’s Word and allow it to sink in their hearts, they will become salty again. We expect mature or seasoned Christians to outgrow blandness. This isn’t to say that challenging stuff doesn’t happen to someone who has been in the Word a while. It does, and probably more frequently and with more intensity than to those that are new in the faith. However, we can’t escape the reality of God’s expectation, and it is that experience should breed spiritual maturity.

Folks are going to try and get under our skin, and this can be particularly true in the workplace; especially when we make our Christianity known. In some respects, we will be targets, and people will look to us to respond differently under stressful situations. We should know this. It’s not that we can behave perfectly 24/7, we’re going to get upset from time to time, but we can never forget that there’s a standard that God desires us to uphold.

In Romans 12:2(NKJV), God commands us, “ And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” To renew our minds is to recognize that there’s some old thought-patterns that cause us to gravitate towards old behaviors. Our old way of thinking and behaving was outside the realm of faith in God. He tells us in Colossians 3:10(NLT), “Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.” Many of us have endured and continue to endure the impact of pettiness, gossip, racism, sexism, and the games of favoritism in the workplace. It’s very disappointing and hurtful, but Jesus Christ has already warned us that we would face opposition from those in the world. He told us that satan would be up to his usual tricks. And so that we understand that we are victorious and not victims, he also reminds us in 1John 4:4(NLT), “But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.”

He tells us in Ephesians 6:12 that we’re not wrestling against flesh and blood—our fight is not with human beings. We are wrestling with the evil and darkness that works through them. And we must have spiritual weapons to fight spiritual battles. God tells us in Colossians 3:10 to renew our minds to the reality of who we are and what we’ve been given. We must put on our new nature which is the nature of Jesus Christ. Then, when the battle heats up, we’ll be ready to respond, not impetuously with negativity, but with the ammunition of His love and peace, and nothing can stand against us for long, when we use His infallible weaponry. Psalm 75:6 declares that God is the One in charge of promotion. We must have faith that when we choose His love in any situation, He will unleash His power to back us up and right any wrong in His perfect timing.■

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved. 

New International Version (NIV), Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. 

“Overcoming Workplace Drama”, written by Alexandra Copeland, R4C© 2020. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.