Latest / Prayer Before Work / S01E35 - DEALING WITH A DIFFICULT BOSS
Transcript
- Sean Graver: So, what do you do when the person above you makes everything harder? You know, when the leadership over you is ⁓ frustrating, inconsistent, or just genuinely difficult to work under. So this one's real, and I don't want to give you a simple answer. So let's bring it to God with an honest, open heart. ⁓ two verses today. So Romans 13, one says, Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority Except that which God has established. And then over in Colossians 3 23, whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord and not for human masters. So here's what those two verses do together. Romans says, Submit to the authority structure that you're in. Colossians says, Hey, you're your ultimate boss. Well, that's not in the structure at all. That And both of these things are true at the same time. And that combination is actually what makes a difficult boss survivable. Now I want to be careful here because difficult bosses come in different forms. Some are just hard personalities, demanding, inconsistent, poor communicators. But some are genuinely unfair and some cross lines that need to be addressed through proper channels or even reported. So I'm not suggesting you just endure everything silently, but for the day-to-day experience of working under someone who makes it harder, here's a way to reframe things that brings a different perspective. So you're not ultimately working for them. They are not the final word on your value or your effort or your future. When you work for the Lord and not for human masters, A difficult boss loses a significant amount of power over your inner life. I mean, they can affect your circumstances, but they can't determine your character. And character is the thing that you're actually building here. Right? So the most powerful response to a difficult boss is often to become undeniably excellent and undeniably kind. And it's hard to argue with and harder to dismiss. Well, God, the person I report to right now makes this harder than it needs to be. And I don't always handle that well. Some days I'm frustrated. Some days I'm just exhausted by it. Help me to remember today that you are my ultimate authority, that my value isn't determined by their assessment of me, and that how I respond to difficult leadership is actually forming something in me that matters. So give me patience without passivity. ⁓ help me to show respect without ⁓ resentment. And help me to work with my whole heart today and not because they deserve it, but because you do. I am working for you today, Lord. And I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. All right, now go make today count.