Defend Yourself

1 Peter 3:13-22

I'm not sure if I told this story before, if I have please forgive me for telling it again.

More than a few years ago, while working as a store manager for a national retail chain, I was promoted to store manager of a different, higher-volume store. The promotion came about because the manager of the store I went to was herself promoted to a higher-volume store. Promotions like this are common in retail, where the moves seem lateral, but really are a promotion with more responsibility and higher pay.

As usually happens when a new manager comes in, the employees weren't receptive of a different management style and decided that they didn't want to work there any longer. Having been in this situation several times, I graciously accepted their resignations, ensuring each person who wanted to leave that I honestly wanted them to stay. It was the truth as nothing is more difficult to do in management than to become familiar with a new community without people who can help along the way.

As the weeks went by I began to notice the employees who decided to stay begin to turn against me. They began accusing me of not caring about them and putting the bottom-line of the store before their welfare. I had no idea where this was coming from.

One of the employees and I had began a relationship several months before my coming to their store, and I began to notice he was doing everything possible to avoid me. Finally, on a slow night when we were both closing, I cornered him and asked what was going on. He said he didn't want to get involved, but because I'm persistent I continued to ask.

He told me that the past manager was calling people at home and telling them I fired the people who left, because I didn't want "dead weight" at the store. I was even accused of almost putting a family on the streets and not caring because I cared more about profit than people.

The next 2 months were extremely difficult for me as I held my tongue, deciding instead to just be myself and not let the comments made about me dictate my words or actions. In time the employees began to see that the person I was accused of being wasn't the person I truly am. As more time went by the talks behind my back stopped, and we began to grow closer together as one team, one family.

Reading the words of Peter when he says, " Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an account of the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence." reminded me of this story. I believe that because I followed the teachings of my Christ and chose love over hate, I was able to overcome the attack of someone bent on destroying me.

To this day I still don't know why this happened, why someone would choose to deliberately harm me. Maybe so that I could tell this story and hope that if you're ever in a situation you have to defend yourself, you can make the choice to do so with gentleness and love.