Feeling Unappreciated or Under-Employed

“I don’t get paid enough for this.”

“Nobody listens to me.”

“I could run this place better than they can.”

“Why did he get that promotion instead of me?”

Have you ever expressed those sentiments at work? I certainly have. It sounds prideful when you get down to it, doesn’t it? Well, it is. It is a prideful expression of yourself, your abilities, and your perceived lack of status. You believe you deserve better than what you are getting at work, and that people should listen to you! 

I remember a Human Resources role I had where I struggled with respecting a leader. He was belittling, ignorant of the role of Human Resources in the current business environment and treated people as tools to achieve his management goals. He was a bully. Others shared the same sentiments, and we had many gripe sessions of his poor leadership skills. I became extremely resentful of his behavior and was angry with him at every meeting I attended with him. Every word or position he took was an irritation that I couldn’t resolve. How dare he treat me with disrespect! I dreaded any interaction with him and avoided him at all costs. As a result, I became embittered at him, my job, and God for keeping me in this toxic environment. It took a long time for me to realize that regarding my spiritual walk, the problem was with me and not him. It was how I was reacting to him and his style. It was not in a humble, loving, godly manner. I was focused on the wrong things.


Read the whole chapter in Biblical HR.

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In the age of an increasingly complex world of work, the truths in this book are so timely, and yet the principles here within are so timeless.

Keith Daniels
Former HR Executive, Small Business Owner, Directional Pastor, Member and Secretary of the Board of Trustees – The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY