Foster’s Faith-Filled Friday

Welcome to Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power and Foster’s Faith Filled Friday with Trench Classes United! You are going to love Breanna’s transparency as she shares about something most of us can relate with for sure, difficult co-workers! Grab your coffee and come on in!

Have you ever dealt with a difficult coworker?

Recently, my office hired a new employee that – well, let’s just say she rubbed us all the wrong way, and that’s putting it mildly. My office is very much a laid-back, small group of women that get along very well together. We are all able to chit-chat while we work, potluck often, and even hang out outside of work. We all have a genuine bond with each other.

Unfortunately, this new employee was not receptive to this type of atmosphere and didn’t care to be a part of anything we did and made this very apparent with her attitude toward us. Talk about some serious tension in the office.

I found myself becoming snappy toward her and developed a sense of bitterness that even I could taste. So one night I prayed about it, for the Lord to soften my heart toward her and help me to give her grace. I heard the Lord say to me “Still show her My love.”

It was hard, trust me, but I continued to try and include her. With every attempt to do so, she would push me away even more and almost become angry. But still I continued to try and scale this wall she had built around herself.

I didn’t know this woman and I don’t know her story or why she does the things she does, but I was determined to be as nice and loving as I could. Eventually, I became tired of the negativity and considered it a “waste of time.” A couple days passed and she was let go and I instantly felt this sense of relief (sad right?).

I reflected on my attitude that night and realized I was treating her like an enemy. With enemies, it’s a natural reaction to want to overcome them and win the fight. But Christ tells us something different:

Matthew 5:43-45 ⁴³"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' ⁴⁴But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.⁴⁶If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? ⁴⁷And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?

The true test of our Christian walk isn’t how we treat our brothers and sisters in Christ, but how we treat those who are openly hostile to us. We were once enemies of God and are still plagued by sinful nature that is at war with Him, but while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8)

Who are we to decide which one of us is deserving of God’s grace when we ourselves are not?

I realize now that I did not treat or react to my co-worker out of a heart of love or how Christ would have treated her. Instead, I judged her and was so quick to want her gone.  If only I had dealt with this from a Biblical stand point, maybe I would’ve had an eternal impact on her. I missed my opportunity.

Finally, consider this; are they really your enemy? They are not. We might not like the way they act, but we do need to love them. Speak life, show love, and point them to the Gospel of Christ, the only one who has set us all free, the One whom I know will grant me another opportunity to be more like Him the next time I encounter a difficult co-worker..

Thoughtfully,

Breanna