Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
The belief in God’s protection is something that is often heard in everyday conversations. We speak of about God’s protection when we think about tragedies such as car accidents or terroristic events. Many of us have expressed thanks to God for protecting our families and those we love from unexpected tragedies.
But does God protect us in spiritual conflicts? We think of God’s protection when it comes to being physically hurt. Yet, just as important are those times when God protects us from spiritual turmoil and toxic situations. I recently heard a true story about a woman who sincerely believed that God had protected her from a toxic situation. I believe she was right.
It all started with the office environment where she worked. There was turmoil in the office. The newly hired office manager was off to a bad start. Who was wrong? It depended on who one spoke to. There were those on both sides willing to voice personal opinions. The atmosphere in the office got so bad that the business owner gave a talk to the employees telling them to “cool it” with the office chatter.
The main instigator in the office gossip was “Mary,” who had recently resigned after working for the company 20 years. Mary blamed her resignation on the office manager. While there, she did not hold back her criticism of him, and she would openly tell it to anyone who would listen. She was constantly complaining and criticizing the new office manager.
But over the holidays she decided to host her annual Christmas party. She invited those from the office whom is she thought had been sympathetic to her cause. Yet “Betty,” a coworker, was invited and she was puzzled as to why. Betty made it a habit to not respond to Mary’s backbiting about the new office manager. She had heard Mary’s innuendos about him, and she witnessed others participating. Betty had purposely avoided the office gossip while Mary had been there. Yet, Betty reasoned that it was the office party, so she responded to the RSVP, telling Mary she would attend.
Some days later, there was a glitch. Betty realized after she had accepted Mary’s invitation, her granddaughters were performing in a Christmas program on the same night. Betty called Mary and politely let her know about the scheduling conflict. Mary understood because Mary was a grandmother as well.
Christmas passed. Betty was posting a New Year’s message on social media when pictures of the party at Mary’s home appeared. From the pictures, one could see that Mary’s house was decorated beautifully. There were blinking lights, nutcrackers and many festive decorations. The dessert table looked so elegant.
Yet what caught Betty by surprise were the captions under the pictures. Those captions spoke volumes as to the real atmosphere at the party. The words were critical of their workplace. Without mentioning a name, the controversial office manager was mocked and imitated through innuendoes and comments that were written. The comments under the pictures were filled with sarcasm. What appeared to be a festive Christmas gathering among friends was actually a vindictive and hateful atmosphere.
When Betty read the picture captions, she was stunned. Why would someone post hurtful remarks for everyone to read? No matter how elegant Mary’s house appeared, and no matter how scrumptious the food might have been, the tragedy is that people at the party were hurtful and spiteful. Betty’s first thought was, “Thank you Lord that I was not there. Thank you for sparing me in that toxic situation, even when I did not even realize it would be that way.”
The truth is that at times the Lord protects us from situations that would cause us grief. If Betty had attended the party, the perception would have been that she was in agreement with how the rest of the office personnel thought. Trying to repair that image to her new office manager would have been difficult.
God protects us, and it is in our humanness that we forget he protects us in all ways. The Bible says: “The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forever.” (Psalm 121:8)
Yes, he protects us, going and coming and all the in-between, and I am thankful for it.
Judy Brandon is a Clovis resident. Contact her at: [email protected]