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PROGRAM D-7261
We typically spend eight hours a day on our jobs—with co-workers and peers whom we might never voluntarily choose to spend one-third of our waking hours each week. But there we are—together! And even though we’re Christians, we’re not immune to the irritations, aggravations and outright conflicts that can exist between co-workers.
Let’s face it: co-workers can get to you! However, these relationships give us opportunities as Christians to demonstrate the power of Christ, to show that his presence makes a real difference in our everyday lives. Some close friends were at my home and several of them were sharing the struggles they are facing on their jobs with co-workers. But in each case, as they shared how God had helped them get along with those co-workers, they told of dying to their own rights and then watching God work miracles in those situations. And in each instance, their ability to deal in a Christ-like way with a difficult co-worker has opened a door of witness on their jobs.
In many of those situations, the co-worker has not yet changed and their behavior is extremely difficult. But even when they don’t change, God can change us so that we are equipped to handle it properly. Often God just gives us grace to cope, grace to endure, grace to accept, even though the other person never changes. But isn’t that just as great a miracle as changing the other person? I think so.
Let’s look at one type of difficulty we encounter with co-workers.
Dealing with the lazy co-worker
Sometimes we have to work with a person who is lazy, and if we have to pick up his or her slack, we may find ourselves becoming bitter and resentful. And of course, that would show in sarcastic words, angry looks, body language, etc.
In these situations we need to know whether to confront the situation, to let the work go undone, to go to management, or to do the work for a while.
One principle to consider is that we are called to have an extra-mile attitude in our relationships with others. In Matthew 5:38 Jesus taught us to go the extra-mile. Of course, this is not the world’s solution and it goes against all our natural reactions. But God may have good reasons for us to go the extra mile and be willing to do what we don’t have to do. Or maybe not.