Don’t sink down

In any business or other organization such as a church there are disgruntled unhappy people. I have noticed through the years that these malcontents seem to have an almost uncanny ability to seek each other out. They will go to lunch together, take coffee breaks together, talk in the halls together and even see each other socially. This unholy alliance continues even after they leave the organization. One of my sons went to a party not long ago and nearly every disgruntled employee that had ever formerly been in our employ was there. It was a very hostile envoironment for him and he did not stay long. It reminds me of a septic tank and the waste that settles to the bottom separating itself from the clean water.

When I discover a disgruntled person within my organization I try to determine the reason for their discontent and see if there is any legitimate reason for their attitude to be as it is. I try to rehabilitate them if at all possible. If unsuccessful, I remove them from our organization as fast as lightening moves through the sky just as I would remove a skin cancer before it grew into something more serious. Like an open wound that is allowed to fester, this problem, if not addressed, will grow and one person will soon be a group and it will continue to spread and infect more and more people in an organization. I have seen this situation repeat itself on innumerable occasions throughout my lifetime in business, churches and other organizations to which I have belonged. It always seems to start with one person and they affect others who join them and end up being just like them.

I was in church one day and the guy who always sits behind me every Sunday started in on the preacher and he ventilated about everything that he perceived was wrong with him and his plan for the church and on and onI did not join in but could see how easy it would be to join the fray. I’m sure this same guy repeated his discontent with other members in the church. He did in fact find plenty of others and soon a malcontent group was formed. I do not know if he was the original ringleader or not, but he was right there in the middle of all of the malcontents. It eventually split our church right down the middle.

The Bible tells us not to murmur’ among ourselves or seek strife. It serves no useful purpose and always ends up creating problems that can lead to destruction. This is not to say that we should be mute if we perceive something that we believe to be wrong. The right thing to do is go to the management of the organization and discuss the problem with them; the wrong thing is to murmur among ourselves. If management will not address the problems or agree with your perceptions and cannot convince you that the direction they are going is the right direction, perhaps the organization is not the right fit for you. If so, move on with your life. Why be miserable in a church or job that is not right for you? Do not try to drag the organization down with a bad attitude and dark mood, find one that is better to your liking. Life is too short to be unhappy. If you do not like your current situation, change it in a positive manner as described. (Just be sure that it is not ‘you’ and your ‘pride’ that is not the real problem before you make your move.)

Pro 17:19
He who loves transgression
loves strife,
And he who exalts his gate
seeks destruction.