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If you’ve ever had to work with a person who was vindictive or hostile—or both—then I don’t have to tell you how difficult that can be. I’m talking about relationship problems on the job, where we sometimes encounter people who are challenging, to say the least. And the vindictive, hostile co-worker is a huge challenge. This type of person can be malicious, even vicious, and he or she may try to cause us problems and do us harm.
Jesus came to bring true light to the world, and when we become believers, he says that we are the light of the world (Matthew 5:14). We become the bearers of his light into a very dark world. That is a great privilege, but it comes with its “downside,” if you please.
In John 3:19-20, Jesus says:
This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.
And again, in John 15:18-19:
If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.
Jesus gives us clear warning of relationship problems that we will incur simply because we are believers in him and carry his light into our dark worlds. Therefore, we should not be shocked to discover than on occasion our Christian “light” will generate a hostile response from a co-worker. The reason for this unpleasant reaction is the fear of exposure.
However, not always is a hostile person reacting to our Christian “light”; some people are simply hostile and vindictive in general toward most everyone. You have to realize that something has happened to that person to make them so miserable, and that’s when you ask God to help you see them the way he sees them, so that you can have compassion and mercy on them.
We are offering a free resource to help you navigate your difficult relationships. It’s a chapter from Mary’s Bible study, “Improving Your Relationships.”