1 Samuel 18:8 And Saul was furious and resented this song. “They have ascribed tens of thousands to David,” he said, “but only thousands to me.
David was under tremendous pressure at his workplace. After a splendid start to his career his insecure and envious boss (King Saul) made his life miserable. David’s stupendous performance stunned Israel but the king was displeased that David was esteemed more than himself. Jealousy made King Saul a ravenous, bloodthirsty beast. David’s fabulous performance was rewarded with the death threat until a death warrant was issued for his repeated steady wins at the battlefield. After slaying the giant, Saul hurled the spear, for he thought, “I will pin David to the wall.” But David eluded him twice. (1 Samuel 18:11).
David, who was distressed at the treatment in his workplace, cries to the Lord. My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death have fallen on me. Fear and trembling have beset me; horror has overwhelmed me (Psalm 55:4-5). With no options left David flees into the wilderness for his life. Those who work on an average 8 hours a day spend about 39% of their time at work. If the work environment is not placid and the manager and work colleagues are not pleasant, work-life would be depressing. Stress at the workplace could be external and/or internal. External pressures would be from an apprehensive boss, conflicting co-workers, heavy workload, long hours, irrational expectations or conflating principles and values. Internal pressure points would be comparison, unhealthy competition and wrong choices and decisions. David was stomped with the external pressure that crushed him internally.
Three causes and effects of workplace stress:
- Conceit: Pride is the root of insecurity. The formidable, dominating dragon that overblows the ego and inculcates the wrong notion that ‘no one can be better than me’ is the main cause of insecurity. Pride and insecurity are a lethal combination that pushes a person to extreme avaricious actions. Few ways to handle egoistic, prideful, and insecure people is by having candid conversation, setting boundaries not to step on each other’s toes or involving higher authorities. Backbiting and bickering doesn’t help. It only worsens the insecurity of the other person.
- Competition: Healthy competition helps growth, but unhealthy competition or comparison causes disunity and dissension. Unhealthy competition results in anxiety, panic attacks, muscle aches, headaches, high blood pressure, indigestion/heartburn or even heart attack! Competition that brings the worst and ugly side of people will ultimately be destructive. Unhealthy competition and comparison killed King Saul.
- Conflict: Disagreements and conflict at the workplace makes the environment gross and gloomy. If the conflict is about personal interests, beliefs, and ideas then, respectfully disconnect. A soft word turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger (Proverbs 15:1). An environment of conflict if not corrected will become toxic. Respond to harshness with gentleness and change your work culture.
When work stress steals your sleep, appetite, or family time, pray, reset priorities, and discuss with your managers. Enduring workplace stress will leave us emotionally, physically, and spiritually crippled.
Psalm 55:22 Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, may my place of work be enjoyable where I can shine your light to the needy, lonely, and lost. Amen.
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