Dealing with Evil at Work

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me

Psalm 23:4

I will meditate on this verse before I go to work tomorrow.  You may ask how does walking “through the valley of the shadow of death” applies to me going to work?  If you’re thinking about my occupation, I am in law enforcement so there is some level of danger in that.  Sadly, I’m not talking about the job itself.  I’m talking about some of my backstabbing, manipulative coworkers.  The type of coworkers that if I was faced with a dangerous situation at work, I’ll be better off taking care of it myself than relying on them for help.

In Psalm 23:4, the “death” I’m referencing refers to the stress of dealing with these coworkers every time I go to work.  It refers to the inability to truly express myself due to the possibility of it being exploited and manipulated.  It applies to the unfair treatment me and other people experience due to favoritism and workplace “clicks.”

It sounds like I’m being opinionated, but after years of trying to be nice to these particular coworkers, their evil ways to me are just a fact of life.  And, as long as management turns a blind eye to it, they will continue to act in this way.

So, in dealing with them, “I will fear no evil and rely on the Lord’s staff to comfort me.”  I believe the reason why these evil coworkers come after me (apparently behind the scenes) is because they’re jealous of my seniority, my resume, and because they feel like I’m a threat to their success.  Instead of communicating and working with me, they use the tactics of a coward by secretly trying to destroy me by smearing my name and telling lies.

I will, and hopefully the ones that deal with a similar situation, do as the Apostle Paul recommends in Romans 12:19.  He tells us to “avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.”  People that do evil will eventually get what’s coming to them.  Their downfall could happen with their health, their finances, or even their peace of mind.  We should not, however, wish this on them.  Actually, we should pray for them to change their evil ways.  I believe if we keep the peace and put the situation in the Lord’s hands, that things will eventually work out in our favor.