When God Doesn’t Save You From An Unfair Boss6 min read

To him, he had the unfortunate luck of ending up with an unfair boss. He was doing his best but for some unexplained reason, he was always the one picked last

Last for commendation and last for promotion if he ever got any. His appraisals were very good but he wasn’t recommended for promotion. This happened more than once. It was clear to him – his boss probably had it in for him.

Fortunately, things were starting to smile his way.

A friend of his had told him told him about a position that opened up in another company. More pay and a better role – just the combination his skills deserved.

“And maybe a boss that appreciates my skills”, he said to himself.

He was about to send his CV and for some reason, he could not commit himself to the process. He was sure he would get the job so it was the fear of failing that was holding him back.

He remembered something he heard in church. “Don’t stay where you are not celebrated”, the preacher had said.

He was not getting the “celebration” vibe from his boss. He was sure it was ok to make the move.

“Time to go where I will be celebrated”, he convinced himself.

But what was holding him back from making the move?

Could God be telling him to stay in a bad situation?

The Everyday Decisions Of An Employee

Honestly, this is one of the decisions that that come with working at a job. Nothing out of the ordinary. We all get to that point at a job or in a career that we feel we need to make the move.

This decision and about a million others stare us in the face everyday.

But what really is the real decision we are making?

It’s not the decision about the job – it’s the decision about us.

Are we looking out for ourselves first? Are we Number 1 in our books?

If we are Number 1, the decision is very easy. We make make the choice that makes us happy the most per time.

But is that really what we are about?

A Lesson From An Unusual Source

Last week, I was listening to a podcast by someone I follow. His name is Pastor Bankie. He is practicing pathologist in Eastern Nigeria who runs a teaching ministry. Listening to his preaching is like a little group discussion you have with a bunch of friends.

You guys start with a main thought but you talk about anything else that comes along the way. So, don’t be in a hurry to listen to his podcast (itunes,android) he takes his time to drive his main point home.

Back to his message.

He talked about the story of Hagar & Sarah in a way I had not looked at it till then. 

The Sarah-Hagar Show

Sarah had mistreated her slave, Hagar and so she ran away from home (Gen 16:6-12). Funny thing happened on the way to freedom for Hagar. She met an angel.Unfortunately, this was not the kind of I-am-going-to-make-it-right visit from the angel.

First, he tells Hagar to go back to her boss and be a good slave.

Second, he now promises her a blessing that has a long-term realization period – “I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.” Gen 16:10. That is really scant consolation for the immediate.

No promise of I-am-going-to-make-your-boss-better or I-am-going-to-eliminate-your-bad-boss. It’s really not the answer Hagar would have wanted.

To top it all, he tells her that her son is going to the playing the me-against-the-world part in the family. Gen 16:11,12. It really wasn’t the beautiful epiphany I would have loved.

But Hagar decided to focus on the fact that an angel visited her – it meant God was watching over her. 

It didn’t mean that her situation changed. But it changed her decision to turn tail and run.

We never found out if Sarah became sweet with her after she came back or she even gave her a “whacking for trying to run away in the first place”

We just know she found the confidence to stay because she met the Lord who watches over her (Gen 16:13,14)

When Hagar Became My School Teacher

After listening to story, I came with a couple of lessons to guide my work decisions:

1-Sometimes I want to be celebrated at work while God wants something else

2-I can’t understand everything that happens to me on a job.

3-No matter how bad a boss is, I have a responsibility to submit to the boss at all times

4-Finding another job may not be the action that I need to pursue

5-God will take care of me but He doesn’t have to take out an unfair boss to do that.

6-There are no guarantees that things will get better when I stay with an unfair boss

7-God uses my work life to write His story – everything will work out well in the end

When God Doesn’t Save You From An Unfair Boss

Button line, the easiest route in not often the path that faith demands of us. 

The question most of the time is who do we want to make happy with our decisions?

If you want to be happy, then changing a job when you get an unfair boss might be the most reasonable course of action to secure your happiness. 

But if you want to make God happy, then you should be open to the possibility that staying under an unfair boss might be the story God is writing with you.

Things may not get better immediately but they will eventually work out for God’s greatest happiness and yours too.

It’s only a matter of time.

In the meantime, encourage yourself with the fact that God is more concerned about you than you could ever be.

But You Can Leave An Unfair Boss

By the way, if you plan to make a career move from an unfair boss and you find conviction from God to do it – make the move.

Remember Jacob.

He was OK with staying under his unfair boss Laban until God said “boy, it’s time to make the move” (Gen 31:3-9). And the move worked out for him, even though he had some fears along the way. (Gen 31:31,32:6-8).

If you stay, stay because you are sure it’s the move that would make God as your father happy. And if you leave, leave for that same reason.

Let your choice always be driven by one goal – living everyday to make God happy with the decisions you make. 

Decisions that celebrate your relationship with Him.

That’s what kids do for their fathers.

And God is that to you and more.

You are a child of God.