False Accustaions

This last Wednesday, my boss came and pulled me aside and accused, well, charged and convicted myself and another employee of making racist statements.  No specifics were given.  No specific time, date, location, what as allegedly said, who was offended, or who were witnesses to it.  Not only that, but when I talked to my fellow charged employee, they were told a different story of occurrences. 


My fellow employee was told it was a couple days previous.  I was not present at that time, it was my off day.  I was told it was a couple of weeks ago.  I was told it had something to do with an advertisement.  Neither one of us knows what in the heck the boss is talking about.  This just seems to have come completely out of nowhere.


The charge of racism is a very serious charge.  People lose their jobs over this.  It poisons the workplace with fear and mistrust.  Communications are broken down.  I personally don't even want to sit in the same room with my fellow employees.  One of them is making this totally false claim for some perverse reason.  Something was twisted or misheard.  Unfortunately once the charge is laid, you are guilty, period, end of story, whether or not it was true or accurate.


This charge against me cuts at the core of who I am.  It seriously damages my credibility.  Since this has happened, I can't sleep. My stomach is acting up.  My blood pressure is up.  I don't feel I can trust anyone.  I now am afraid to say anything at all with our Hispanic workers.  If I use my Spanish, will it be seen the wrong way? 


I base my life on the Bible and live it's concepts the best I know how.  Love your neighbor as yourself, do unto others as you would have them do unto you, God is no respecter of persons, we are all equal in the eyes of the Lord.  These are not just phrases for me.  It is the foundation of who I am.  This foundation has now been attacked.


The part that makes this even more maddening to me is the hypocrisy in this charge.  My boss, who has no doubts as to my guilt it seems, has 3 times in the past two week made disparraging comments about a lesbian student couple in my presence the I found offensive. I have two gay nieces who are wonderful people.  Are you calling them gross too?   I suppose I should have said something then, but its the boss.  You don't really want to make your life harder by pissing off the boss, but I suppose that is moot now.


Besides those offenses, there is another employee who constantly uses the Lords name in vain.  I have brought this offense up a couple of times, and nothing seems to be done about it.  I should think that if we are policing such things when I say it, it should be applied equally to all employees and to all offensive comments. Yesterday someone said something questionable in the break room and I called them out on it.  Somehow, two feet away the boss did not hear this?


One of the othe frustrating aspects here is the guilty verdict without trial, or even evidence.  All someone had to do was make the charge and guilt was assigned.  We can't give up the details or who said it because of confidentiality to protect the whistle-blower from retribution.  Ok, where was my confidentiality protected two weeks ago when my name was put out there in the disciplinary matter of another employee?  What if that other employee had been fired and came after me with a gun?  I was not even the one who told on him!


I do have my suspicions on where this came from.  We have a new employee who likes to twist peoples words, run to the boss, and get them in trouble.  I don't know why this person has the boss' ear so much, but the boss seems to believe everything this new employee says.  It's already happened to two other employees, and was attempted once on me, but I was there to set the record straight.  Nobody there likes this person and everyone but the boss seems to see what is going on here.  I can't say this person is behind this, but it certainly fits the pattern.


All of this is so frustrating.  It is like the whole job suddenly went ding bat crazy.  The question now is, as a believer, what should I do about this?  I feel really tempted to go above the boss' head and expose all that I have written here.  It would be telling the truth.  Shout it from the rooftop and be sure your sin will find you out.  Or, do I take the approach of vengeance is mine saith the Lord, I will repay; turn the other cheek? 


What would be the effect of my actions?  If I took the former approach, while essentially I would be telling the truth, it would cause further division, strife, and harm other people as well.  I would be doing to others as they had done to me, quite the opposite of what Jesus calls us to live. I would probably just be viewed as the bitter troublemaker just trying to exact my own revenge.


What does Jesus say to do?  Do good to your enemies.  Love those who use and abuse you.  Forgive those who have wronged you. Do not fear what man can do to you, for they have no heaven or hell to put you in.  Pray for them.  This is the harder approach.  Only the Holy spirit that lives within me can give me the strength to do these things.  It is only through the power of the Lord that I will be delivered.  It is only through the love of Jesus that I can overcome.


The story of Joseph comes to mind here.  Certainly no one knows about being wronged and having false charges filed against you as much as he.  Despite whatever predicament he was thrown into against his will, and despite his innocence, Joseph endured.  He did what was right and was blessed in whatever he did at whatever place he found himself. All that he endured was simply preparation for the day when the Lord would promote him into positions of honor and power to use him as a means by which many would be saved.


Lord, I set this in your hands.  Give me the patience to endure.  Give me the strength not to break.  Give me peace so that I may find rest and comfort.  Give me your heart of forgiveness.  May all glory and honor in this matter be unto you.  I trust in you that all things work to good to those who love you Lord, to those who are called according to your purpose.  In Jesus' name, Amen.