Forgiveness At WorkНамуна

Stop the harm and examine your part

Forgiveness is a necessary part of righting relationships that have gone wrong. But it’s only possible after the harm has stopped. If you face active harassment at work, the most important thing to do first is to stop the harm from occurring. This is for your benefit and for the sake of others who might also risk being harmed. 

Joseph was more than happy to forgive his brothers for the wrong they had done to him – once he was safe and secure in his new job in Egypt. 

If you’re being harmed day after day at work, get the help you need to make it stop. 

The next prerequisite to righting a wrong relationship is to look at the harm you may have caused inadvertently. Did you do something that made the situation worse? For example, did you gossip about your boss, or “get even” by not doing your best work?

Cerys examined herself when she got back from her bad China trip, to see if there was anything she had done wrong in the situation. She went through “lots of conversation with people to say, ‘Is my anger justified? Am I just being a drama queen about this?” After a period of self-reflection, Cerys could confidently say she was not at fault. This assurance helped her see more clearly what needed to change about her job. 

Once you are in a stable situation and have faced any wrongdoing you’ve done, then you can move onto the work of fixing a broken relationship.

Prayer: God, save me from all my enemies. Show me if anything in me offends you. Lead me in the path of forgiveness. Amen.

Further Exploration: Read more about Joseph’s acts of faith in the Theology of Work Bible Commentary.