Proverbs 14:35
Work
relationships can be just as difficult as personal relationships. This is true
at every level of work group. If we have just one other person with whom we
work, things can get complicated and stressful. Large organizations often have
Human Resource Managers, part of whose job is to help with these rough spots in
the work force. It is less expensive to help work out an issue than it is to
hire a new person, train them, and then get them integrated into the
organization.
Managers
want people who are responsible employees. When an employee is a person of
integrity, life is much easier. The manager can trust the worker to do what they
are supposed to do. They become a valued team member, working toward a common
goal, usually higher profit and greater customer satisfaction.
Our
proverb highlights this connection between a king and his servant. When a
servant provides wise counsel, consistent behavior, and loyalty, the king can
sleep at night. The servant becomes an extension of him. When the servant is in
charge of some task, the king knows he doesn’t need to worry about the task
being completed.
But
if the servant acts in a way that discredits his master, the reputation of the
king becomes compromised. Everything for which the king has worked, the very
standing of the king with neighboring states, gets placed on unsteady ground.
No wonder the king lets his anger explode.
We
have seen the results of one small servant destroy the standing of a nation as
we learned about Bradley Manning and Edward Snowden. They each gave vitally
sensitive data that has compromised our nation’s security and our reputation
around the world. I am not saying that the government should not be held
responsible for its actions, but that one very low-level servant put so much at
stake.
We
as parents can experience this when our children act in a way that dishonors
our family name. The act may not be that large, but the consequences may be
much greater than our child could ever understand. Often our fury rises, not
because of the act itself, but because the act represents a break in trust.