The Full Picture

It is hard to see the full picture when some things are not known. For the last few years, I have felt as if I was the black sheet in my department. I watched how others gravitated to my manager and bonded in ways I never could imagine. In many ways it put me in an awkward position. I felt as if I was the odd man out. For years I felt as if I was being picked on or given projects that were less desirable by others.  Many times I was. When you try to speak about things, it was made as if it was all in my head. Recently we were blessed with a new supervisor who not only saw what was going on but was able to bring somethings to light. It can be a great feeling when you know you are not going through things alone and someone really gets it. Last week we had our annual reviews. Some were happy with their results, and others were angry.  It turns out the people for the last few years who tried so hard to be friends with management ended up being bit by the same person they tried to align themselves with. I sat and listen to the grievances and was shocked. As the person stated I thought they were my friend. My mind brought back how I had been treated for so long and now this person feels the pain in which I felt. My words to the person were this “When you first arrived at this company you stated this person had burned you before. You told us not to trust them so why did you?” The person agreed to the statement and admitted they had said that and stated “They wish I had reminded them somewhere along the way.”  The lesson I learned from this is this you can’t treat a child of God any type of way and think you will still be blessed. Even though you go through and things seem to be unfair things happen for a reason. I was told that “I should be glad I never tried to make this person my friend.” When someone warns you about a person listen. My radar has been up since I heard that statement years ago. I don’t understand why that person never listened to their own advice. After all of the events, it seems as if I was the only one who didn’t get slammed in my annual review as others. The treatment I endured was a blessing and a curse, but in the end I was vindicated. I learned from my mistakes, and I changed. In many ways I adapted to what was best for me. Things didn’t seem fair at times, but such is life in Corporate America. What I thought was a sweet deal for them during that time ended up being the worst betrayal they had endured. God allows you to go through things for a reason, and he has a way of protecting you when we don’t see it. Instead of complaining about the situation ask the question “Lord is there something you want me to know? Are you protecting me from some unseen dangers?” Whatever the situation is be patient and allow him to guide you and protect you. Be aware that everyone isn’t your friend and real friends don’t sell you down the river on the first boat smoking.