Latest / Prayer Before Work / You Think a Coworker Is Talking About You. You Can't Prove It. Prayer Before Work
Transcript
- Sean Graver: you're pretty sure a coworker has been talking about you behind your back, but pretty sure isn't the same as knowing. And you don't want to blow up a relationship over something you can't actually prove. Well, hey, this is Sean, and welcome back to Prayer Before Work. Now, this is a genuinely uncomfortable spot to be in, right? Something changed. Maybe people are acting differently around you. Maybe a comment got back to you second hand that sounded a little too specific to be a coincidence, and your gut is telling you exactly who's behind it, but your gut isn't evidence. And marching up to someone with an accusation you can't back up could turn a maybe into a definitely, and then make you the villain of the story instead. Now there's a verse in Proverbs that was written for just this kind of moment, long before Office gossip had a name. In Proverbs 18, 17 it says, The one who states his case first seems right until the other comes and examines him. Now that verse is basically a warning against ruling on a story before you've actually heard the rest of it. So whatever version you've heard so far, even the version that sounds airtight, is still only one side. Maybe your suspicion is completely correct. Maybe it's someone else entirely. And this person's actually being blamed unfairly. The same way you're worried about being blamed unfairly for something you didn't do. Well, here's a practical way through this without either staying paranoid quietly about it or making an accusation that you can't support. And that's if this is affecting your work or your relationships. You can address the actual impact without naming a suspect. Like, maybe I've noticed some things getting back to me that feel off. And I want to make sure we're good. And say that directly to the person you suspect. It gives them a chance to respond honestly without you accusing them of something you can't prove. And if it really was them, that conversation often changes the behavior on its own. And if it wasn't, well you haven't burned a relationship over a guess. Let's pray. God, it's hard to sit with suspicion that we can't confirm, especially when it involves how people are talking about us. Give us the discernment to see clearly and also the restraint to not accuse someone you know, based on a feeling instead of facts. And if there's a conversation that we need to have, give us the wisdom to have it without escalating something that we're not even sure is real. And protect our own heart from turning suspicious about everyone around us in the meantime. Thank you, Lord. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. I go make today count.