{"id":1996,"date":"2013-11-01T08:30:28","date_gmt":"2013-11-01T08:30:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/68.183.22.105\/?p=1996"},"modified":"2023-08-02T11:19:01","modified_gmt":"2023-08-02T11:19:01","slug":"does-forgiveness-belong-in-the-workplace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp-sites.ccci.org\/agapeuk-old\/does-forgiveness-belong-in-the-workplace\/","title":{"rendered":"Does Forgiveness Belong in the Workplace?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/svg>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Home<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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By Michelle and Jeremy<\/h6>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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These stories first appeared in the Winter 2013 edition of MOVE Magazine.<\/h6>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Michelle’s Story<\/h3>

It is rare to have a year in your career tha<\/span>t is as good as my last year had<\/span>\u00a0been \u2013 all expectations and targets\u00a0<\/span>were\u00a0<\/span>achieved and my boss<\/span>\u00a0t<\/span>old\u00a0<\/span>me that I would\u00a0<\/span>be promoted<\/span>. Our relationship strengthened and we discussed our work plans several tim<\/span>es over drinks after work. We\u00a0<\/span>discuss<\/span>ed<\/span>\u00a0our families, we share<\/span>d<\/span>\u00a0work concerns in confidence,\u00a0<\/span>we<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>were becoming<\/span>\u00a0friends.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Then suddenly at the end of a regular telephone catch up, she casually t<\/span>old<\/span>\u00a0me that the company plans ha<\/span>d\u00a0<\/span>changed and\u00a0<\/span>my promotion would not be possible.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

She regretted it, but business priorities had\u00a0moved in an unexpected direction.\u00a0I was completely stunned<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

All those sixteen hour days and working weekends solidified into rage and resentment<\/span>. It was not only anger\u00a0<\/span>with business circumstances, but a deeply personal disappointment and resentment towards<\/span>\u00a0my boss. <\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"christopher-sardegna-CMOa3H1SXG0-unsplash\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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I thought that she had<\/span>\u00a0failed me – she was the one that did not\u00a0<\/span>fight hard enough on my\u00a0<\/span>behalf,\u00a0<\/span>that<\/span>\u00a0should not have promised something that was uncertain, that could have at least spoken to me face to face. All those confidences that were shared in our previous meetings<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0in retrospect<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0became deeply hurtful.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u00a0<\/span>I came to forgive her over many months. There was not much to discuss or say to her as a way of confronting\u00a0<\/span>this situation – nothing she had<\/span>\u00a0done was obviously wrong w<\/span>ithin ou<\/span>r company culture.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Praying over many months I went through a journey that led me to think differently about my own priorities and how I relate to my colleagues.<\/span><\/p>

At first my prayers were li<\/span>ke an outpouring of raw emotion.\u00a0<\/span>Then differ<\/span>ent questions emerged.\u00a0 W<\/span>hy did I value this work promotion so much a<\/span>nd what does that say about me? D<\/span>id I actually like my boss simply for the things that she\u00a0<\/span>could give me?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

I started to see <\/span>her<\/span>\u00a0differently \u2013I remembered how<\/span>\u00a0she said<\/span>\u00a0th<\/span>e<\/span>\u00a0pressure\u00a0<\/span>the company put on her\u00a0<\/span>was<\/span>\u00a0affecting her family.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

I am not saying that I came to accept that what happened to me was right, but I<\/span>\u00a0have forgiven and there is no<\/span>\u00a0resentment or anger left. The change has happe<\/span>ned in my mind and heart.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Michelle<\/span><\/i>\u00a0works\u00a0<\/span><\/i>in the third sector <\/span><\/i>and is connected with Agap\u00e9 UK<\/span><\/i> in London.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Jeremy\u2019s Story\u00a0<\/h3>

Over<\/span>\u00a0the past three years, I would say work has been the main place that I have learnt how to love people unconditionally, to forgive people and to receive forgiveness from others (and God). You could say it\u2019s where I have learnt most about discipleship.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

With one senior colleague, we went through many months where I would do something that would annoy her, or go against her wishes. When I\u2019d done something wrong, there was really no escaping it. I had to swallow my pride, apologise, and ask for her forgiveness. We got into the habit of regularly saying sorry and forgiving one another. We both learnt a lot about grace from that experience.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u00a0<\/span>As I have found it difficult to love specific colleagues, I have lea<\/span>rnt to come to God, asking for h<\/span>is<\/span>\u00a0help, to see my colleagues as h<\/span>e sees them and to find specific ways of blessing them \u2013 so loving my colleagues is not just a feeling, but something I get to try to live out in a counter-cultural way each day.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u00a0<\/span>Jeremy Moses<\/span><\/i>\u00a0is a\u00a0<\/span><\/i>Strategy\u00a0<\/span><\/i>Analyst<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/i>working\u00a0<\/span><\/i>in the media sector <\/span><\/i>and led the Agap\u00e9 UK Graduate Movement.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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