5 & 6 September 2026 (Pastoral Page) WHEN YOUR WORKPLACE BECOMES A PLACE OF OPPRESSION

by Asst Ps Patrick Chan Yin

There are seasons in life when going to work feels heavier than it should.

Perhaps you have an unreasonable boss who is difficult to please. Perhaps a colleague constantly criticizes you, undermines you, excludes you, or speaks to you in ways that leave you feeling small. Perhaps you are being bullied emotionally – never knowing when the next harsh word, angry message or unreasonable demand will come.

But workplace oppression does not always look like obvious bullying. Sometimes it looks like being consistently overlooked for a promotion or opportunity, while others are favored. Sometimes it is having your work taken for granted or watching someone else receive the credit for something you have worked hard to accomplish. Sometimes it is an unreasonable workload, impossible deadlines or constantly changing expectations that leave you exhausted, and wondering whether you will ever be able to do enough.

For others, it may be the pressure of office politics – dealing with gossip, manipulation, blame-shifting or colleagues who seem determined to make themselves look good at your own expense. It may be working in a toxic environment where shouting, sarcasm, fear or unhealthy competition have become normal.

And for some Christians, the struggle may even be more personal. Perhaps you have been ridiculed or treated differently because of your Christian faith. Perhaps you have been pressured to compromise your convictions or participate in something that goes against your conscience. You want to honor Christ in the workplace, but you also wonder how much it may cost you.

Sometimes oppression is simply the constant fear of losing your job, being retrenched or having your position made redundant. You may be carrying financial responsibilities at home, and the uncertainty about your future weighs heavily on you. Whatever form it takes, the experience can leave us feeling powerless, anxious and weary.

And the hardest part may be this: “Lord, how long must I endure this?”

The Bible does not pretend that God's people will always experience fairness. Scripture is remarkably honest about suffering caused by other people. David experienced hostility from Saul. Joseph was mistreated by his brothers and later imprisoned unjustly. Jesus Himself was falsely accused, mocked and treated unjustly.

So if you are going through a difficult season at work, please hear this first:

God sees you.

When others misunderstand you, God understands you. When others overlook you, God sees you. When your contribution is never acknowledged, God knows your faithfulness. When words spoken against you make you question your own worth, God reminds you that your identity does not come from your boss, your colleagues or your performance.

Psalm 34:18 says:

“The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

God is not distant from you in this difficult season. He is actually near.

Sometimes, when we are facing difficult or unfair circumstances at work, our instinct is either to fight back or to withdraw completely. We may replay conversations in our minds, think of what we should have said, or imagine how we could finally put the other person in their place. Or we may simply shut down, keep our heads down and try to survive each day.

But Scripture invites us to take a different path.

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:21)

This does not mean allowing people to abuse us without boundaries. It does not mean pretending that inappropriate conversations or behaviors are acceptable. And it certainly does not mean that seeking help, speaking to HR, involving a supervisor, documenting incidents or establishing healthy boundaries is somehow unspiritual.

Being a Christian does not mean becoming a doormat.

Jesus calls us to respond with grace, but He also teaches us to walk in truth and wisdom.

There may be times when you need to speak honestly and respectfully. There may be times when you need to ask for clarification. There may be times when you need to say “no” to something that is unreasonable or compromises your integrity. There may be times when you need to seek help, establish healthy boundaries or ask someone you trust to walk with you through the situation.

And if what you are experiencing becomes bullying, harassment, discrimination or abusive conduct, please do not suffer silently. Seek appropriate help.

At the same time, more importantly, guard your heart.

One of the greatest dangers of prolonged workplace oppression is that the situation slowly begins to shape who we become. We become bitter.  We become suspicious. We become angry. We lose confidence in ourselves.  We begin to dread every interaction. We carry the workplace home with us and allow yesterday's conversation to steal today's peace.  We may even begin to question whether God is really with us.

Bring these things to God.

Tell God exactly how you feel. You do not need to use bombastic words. The Psalms show us that God's people can cry, “How long, LORD?” They can express anger, confusion, fear and disappointment in God's presence.

You can bring your exhaustion to Him. You can bring your fears about your job to Him. You can bring your sense of being overlooked or undervalued to Him. You can bring your loneliness to Him. You can bring the pressure to compromise your convictions to Him.

You can bring your uncertainty about the future to Him.

Then ask Him for the grace to respond faithfully – not because the other person deserves it, but because Jesus is worthy of our faithfulness.

Perhaps your workplace is not the place where you receive recognition. Perhaps it is not where you experience encouragement. But it can still become a place where you quietly live out the character of Christ.

Your patience can be your worship to God.

Your refusal to retaliate can be your worship.

Your integrity and kindness can be your worship.

Your willingness to seek help when necessary, can be your worship.

And your decision to entrust justice to God can be your worship to Him.

1 Peter 2:23 reminds us of Jesus:

“When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.”

Notice those words: “He entrusted himself.”  Perhaps that is what you also need to do today.

Entrust yourself to the God who sees.

Entrust your reputation to Him.

Entrust your work and your contribution to Him.

Entrust the unfair decision to Him.

Entrust the difficult situation, boss or colleague to Him.

You may not be able to change your boss. You may not be able to change your colleagues. You may not be able to change the culture of your workplace overnight.

You may not be able to control whether your work is recognized, whether others treat you fairly, or what decisions your organization will make.

But you can choose where or in whom you can place your trust.

If you are walking through such a season of workplace oppression today, may you know the nearness of God in a very real way.

May He give you wisdom when you need to speak, courage when you need to stand, humility when you need to listen, strength when you feel weary, discernment when you need to make difficult decisions, and peace when you cannot control the circumstances.

Whatever form your workplace struggle takes, may you discover that you are never facing it alone: The LORD is with you!