I sat on the couch in his office and prayed for God to help me to respond kindly. Across from me sat my boss who was a Christian man, and I worked at a Christian school. Over the course of several weeks, he had questioned my capabilities, misrepresented my motives, stripped me of responsibilities I loved, and placed me on probation.
I’d started working at the school way before he did. In fact, I’d grown up there. I met Christ as a middle school student in a chapel service, and it was my joy to give back and serve as a teacher to young people in the same classrooms I’d sat in for six years.
Except now, this new boss was a thorn in my flesh. For some crazy reason, he just didn’t like me, and I might lose my job because of it. But it was more than just a job – it was my ministry, my heart, my calling. I’d spent over a decade working there and loved every moment.
I didn’t know what to do, so I went back to my classroom and closed the door. I sat in a student desk and placed my open Bible in front of me and asked God to help me. I needed His direction. I didn’t know where to turn, so I turned to my Master first.
It was the 22nd day of the month, so I read through Proverbs 22 and prayed over each verse. When I got to verse 11, I heard the clear voice of the Holy Spirit give me my marching orders:
“He who loves purity of heart, and whose speech is gracious, will have the king as his friend.”
Really, Lord? I understood exactly what God was asking me to do, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to be gracious and loving to a man who wanted to destroy my life. I spent a few minutes crying out for God’s strength, praying for God’s blessing over my boss, and asking God to help me to serve with joy in the midst of a very uncomfortable situation.
In I Timothy 6, Paul is encouraging Timothy to counsel the church body to choose wisely. We can never control the response of those whose authority we are placed under, but we can choose to respectfully honor them in the name of Christ by showing up to serve faithfully.
Rather than shrink back and grow disillusioned, we are called to step forward and get diligent. We win the war by washing the feet of the very one who is opposing us.
Whenever I am tempted to start complaining about how someone is treating me, I remember that Jesus picked up a towel and basin and kneeled before Judas to serve. He set the example for all of us to follow. We are called to represent Christ by redoubling our efforts to serve even when we aren’t rewarded.
I don’t know where you are standing today, friend. Perhaps you have a difficult boss or a negative neighbor. Maybe you are accused of something you did not do, or you are giving your all in a place where no one recognizes your hard work. I want you to know that God sees you striving to obey His voice, and He is pleased by your sacrifice.
And by the way, I kept that job, and when that boss resigned to move to a new school, he shook my hand and told me how his opinion of me had changed. He recognized my faithful efforts, and I found favor in his eyes.
May God give us the grace to stay in the fight and faithfully serve – even when it’s hard.
Keeping the Faith,
Lyli
Lyli Dunbar enjoys karaoke in the car with her husband, digging into Bible study with the girls, and reading 12 books at a time. A writer, speaker, and mentor, her burning passion is to know Jesus and to make Him known. Join her at lylidunbar.com to find fuel for a wildfire faith. You may also connect with Lyli on Facebook, Instagram,Twitter, You Tube and Pinterest.
Week 4 Challenge: Each day this week, PRAY for those in authority over you and find ways to redouble your efforts to serve as you represent Christ in your work.
Week 4 Reading Plan:
Week 4 Memory Verse:
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There’s still time to get your tickets!! Natalie Grant & Love God Greatly are teaming up for one VERY special night of praise and worship on September 22 at Lake Pointe Church in Rockwall, Texas!! Trust us when we say that you won’t want to miss this power-packed ministry night! And get this: for each ticket purchased, concert goers will receive a FREE Love God Greatly Bible study journal! How amazing is that?!
*A special invitation to GIVE BACK: For those in our LGG community who are not within traveling distance or simply can’t make it to the concert, would you consider GIFTING a concert ticket to a very worthy cause? We’re giving YOU the opportunity to purchase concert tickets for our amazing friends at a local women’s and children’s services ministry here in Rockwall. Your donated ticket(s) will give one (or more!) of these precious women a unique worship experience, plus their very own LGG study journal to take home with them! What a sweet way to still be able to participate in this exciting night AND get more women around the world in God’s Word. THANK YOU for helping us reach and dream BIG in order to make Him known!
Learn More: http://lovegodgreatly.com/natalie-grant-concert/
We’re in Week 4 of our 1 & 2 Timothy study! You can find our women’s and corresponding kids’ journals here:
Women’s journal: http://amzn.to/2uPvmOS (aff)
Children’s journal: http://amzn.to/2ub0VAA (aff)
Such a great devotional! Thank you so much for sharing.
God bless you Barbie. Thank you for being a part of us. Enjoy your week.
Lyli,
I loved every word you said. I believe very much in the power of prayer. I have been a part of a prayer circle of women praying for a change. Sometimes our prayers aren’t answered right away or we don’t get to see the results. When we prayed we prayed with true hearts and for a good cause and we saw the change the very next day. Wow it was the greatest experience and it still is. I plan to follow you as I wrote down all of your information because you inspire me. Thank you so much.
Staphanie,
Thank you so much for joining us and sharing your story. Prayer is a very powerful thing! Watching God work through situations we have prayed over is a joyous occasion and strengthens faith for all involved. God Bless You!
I could have used this 2 years ago! This is a great blog and you gave a great example about your boss. I was at my job for over 12 yrs. Often times it was very difficult to get up and go into work because the work environment was toxic, so negative. That was because of the CEO of that company was very verbally abusive to management and anyone who ended up in his office. He had a bad temper and a short fuse. So many terrific and talented people quit that place because of him. I had trained many managers over the course of my time there. (FYI: I was offered manager position but I was smarter than that. 🙂 ) The last manager I trained stayed for a year. Longer than any I had trained. Then… He quit. I couldn’t take it anymore, I couldn’t train ANOTHER manager who was just going to quit on me. I ended up getting myself fired on purpose. I wanted out. If I would have been taking my Christianity more seriously then, like I am now, things would be very different. If I had read these verses back then, prayed on it. I could have been walking into work everyday with a smile on my face, a bonce in my step and love in my heart because I was coming to work for God. NOT that horrible CEO.
I didn’t intend to write so much, I just really connected with your story. Thank you! I am enjoying my bible study here at LGG, I just wish more women participated in responding to the blog. Reading other peoples stories and experiences helps me. I’m sure that could help others as well. The next challenge should be for everyone get more involved in blog responses and replying to others posts. It would be fun and bring us closer together as sisters in Christ, because that is what we are!!
Shelly,
Thank you for sharing your story and joining us here! So sorry to hear about your experience. I can only imagine how frustrating that time in your life must have been. We learn from our previous experiences and from others sharing their stories, don’t we? So glad the blog spoke to you and you are enjoying the study. Praying for more participation in future blogs. God Bless You!
This was a great story. I have also just left a toxic environment I didn’t want to and prayed about it for several months I had been at my job for 3 years before the new boss and when he came he started taking over my responsibilities and micro managing the entire church I had been a member for many years and viewed my job as a ministry and had a servant’s heart. I prayed for God to open a window and give me patience in dealing with him. After getting rid of all the old staff I was the only one left. I knew my days were numbered I kept my servant’s heart. I found another job and continue to attend and teach Sunday School. It has been difficult but I continue to pray for strength
Virginia,
Thank you for sharing and being here with us today. I’m so sorry to hear about your experience. Sometimes the trials in life make us and our faith stronger, and give us the opportunity to be examples to others who may be fighting a similar battle. So glad to hear you found a more suitable position and continue serving the church. Praying for strength with you. God Bless!
I certainly appreciate you sharing your heart. And yes, those pearls of wisdom. I too have found myself in a different though not impossible situation when my manager retired this year. She trained her replacement who I got along with at first. Then we had some issues and challenges where we both got our feathers ruffled. While I still miss my former manager, I have tried to ask God to help me persevere and make the most of the situation as it is NOT impossible with the Lord leading me. Thank you for your challenge as I have tried to smile and be giving when needed and not worry things are different.
Monica,
Thank you so much for being with us and sharing your experience today. I love what you said about nothing being impossible with The Lord leading you, so true! Praying with you for continued strength and growth in your situation. God Bless You!