Anger at Work

Work is a privilege given to us by God.  The first time we see work in the Bible is when God the Garden of Eden, and then made Adam to tend it. The Garden belonged to God, therefore it was an honor to be able to look after and tend it.

Work didn’t become hard work, though, until Adam and his wife sinned. As part of God’s curse, Adam was banished from the Garden and sent away to spend the rest of his life doing hard labor (Genesis 3:17). In light of this, we have Adam to thank for the difficulties we have on the job.

No matter where we work, no matter what we do, we are in the people business. Somewhere within the sphere of our employment is a customer with whom we will have to interact. That customer might be someone you work with. These people are called internal customers. We provide a service for them, and quite often they provide a service for us in some way. On the hand, external customers are the people who pay our bills. They are the people who walk in off the street and buy our products and services.

Whether a customer is internal or external, we will have to interact with them at some time, which will provide us with the opportunity to encounter conflict. When conflicts occur, anger can ensue.

Anyone who has ever worked knows what conflict is like on the job. It’s fairly safe to say that we’ve all been there. On any given job there will be an overbearing boss, the coworker who won’t pull their share of the work load, that one person who thinks they know everything, but really doesn’t, and sometimes that one toxic person everyone can’t stand to be around. Each one of these people can cause us to become angry, and if we are not careful lose control.

What should we do when we encounter these people and want to blow up? While there are several ways to handle various job related conflicts, approaching them from a Bible-based perspective is the best place to start.

Begin with acknowledging the fact that for the Christ-follower conflicts are not always a battle with customers and coworkers. We live in a spiritual world where Satan and his demons strongly influence the world around us. This means that while our coworkers may be causing us problems, it is often because they are hurting as a result of a demonic influence inflicting them. As a result, their pain becomes our pain.  

In light of this pain, we must do battle with their enemy on their behalf. Begin this battle with prayer. We do not have to know the specific details of a person’s life to pray for them. Our prayers of petition should center on the invisible blessings of God. We should pray for them to be reconciled to their Heavenly Father, for the Holy Spirit to comfort them and give them peace, and pray for their families as the Holy Spirit leads. Anger cannot live is the heart of person who is genuinely concerned for the well-being of another.

When we work with difficult people, we must remain mindful that we are witnesses of Jesus Christ. The world is watching us. This is a world of hurting people whose need for a Living Savior may not be something they are willing to admit. The life we live, and how we live it, are often the only times someone will see Jesus. How we handle our anger will go a long way to showing them the love of a Savior they desperately need.

We should also pray for ourselves. We should pray for the wisdom of the Lord to guide us, for His strength to sustain us, and for His love to fill us. We should also pray for the Holy Spirit to give us peace and comfort, as well as bring peace to the overall conflict. Peace is no the absence of conflict, but rather the presence of God within the situation.

When it comes to handling conflict at work, perspective is everything. We can either focus on the problem or we can focus on the needs of the individual causing the problem. When we focus only on the problem, we are ultimately ignoring the individual. By ignoring the individual we make our needs more important than their needs. This is a pride and selfishness, and can grow into anger as problems fester and get out of control.

On the other hand, when our focus is on the needs of the individual, anger is replaced with compassion. People who are hurting and lashing out need compassion. When given that compassion, it can bring about healing to the situation as a whole. This healing then brings peace, which can go a long way to solving the conflict that has everyone upset.

What we’re talking about in all of this is attitude. Several cliché’s about attitude have become part of our culture. For example, “Life is ten percent what you make it, and ninety percent how you take it.”; “Your attitude determines your altitude.”; “Attitude changes everything”; and “Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.” These phrases demonstrate the importance of a good healthy attitude, and the danger caused by a bad attitude.

Our attitude is comprised of three components: our personal beliefs, our emotional response, and the resulting behavior. What we believe about someone who causes a conflict at work will trigger an emotional response within us. If we have a bad attitude and disregard a person’s humanity and their need for a Savior, then we demonstrate beliefs that invalidate the person’s needs. This can trigger feelings of bitterness and animosity every time we encounter them, and if not properly handled can lead to feelings of rage. What we do with that rage is determined by whether we submit our anger to God with an open hand, or hold onto it and seek justice on our terms.

Back in the mid 1980’s a series of mass murders involving United States Postal Service workers gave rise to the term “going postal”.  Today, Americans use the term loosely for any time when someone on the job wants to inflict harm on a fellow coworker. When these feelings arise a good idea is to remember a few key principles from the Bible.

First, life is sacred. Mankind is made in the image of God. Anytime we hurt someone we are destroying that image. Next, vengeance belongs to God. This means that God alone has the right to determine the outcome of a situation. In light of this, we must also stay mindful that God’s judgment is always the best way to handle a situation.  God’s ways are higher than our ways; His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. Fourth, pride always precedes a fall. Never in the history of humanity has someone filled with pride and arrogance ever lived to see the benefits of a hateful heart.

We are also reminded in1 John 4 that no one can say he loves God who he cannot see, but hates his neighbor who he can see.  There is no way we can show God our love if we are bent on hurting our boss, coworker, or the stranger who walks in off the street. Anytime anger builds within us at work, we must always ask ourselves a simple question, “Am I filled with love or hate”? The answer to that question will always reveal our attitude.

While conflicts at work are almost unavoidable, being angry at work is a choice. What we decide will reveal our character, and our love. If we choose to love, God will through His Holy Spirit give us the love we need to be witnesses for Him, the strength to persevere, and will fill us with His peace.