I recently discovered one of my coworkers, Danny*, got promoted to a new role at work. This was surprisingly difficult news for me to hear—probably because I’d been hired a couple months before he’d been hired, yet I hadn’t been promoted. What made the situation even more difficult was that I quickly discovered another coworker, Nina, also got promoted to a new role. And Nina had been hired several months after I’d been hired.
When I heard about Danny’s and Nina’s promotions, I started to drown in disappointment and embarrassment: Why did they promoted instead of me? Everyone in this company is probably wondering the same thing. Am I not doing enough? Am I doing something wrong?
When Life Stings
To be honest, I was pretty shocked that Danny and Nina got promoted—not because they weren’t great people but because they were so new to the team. They’d been working for our company for less than a year at the time of their promotions, while I’d been working for our company for more than a year. That really stung.
When news started to spread about Danny’s and Nina’s promotions, they handled it really well. People congratulated them, and they expressed gratitude. I wanted to be excited for them. I wanted to be okay with not getting promoted. And I wanted to trust God because I knew that His plan, not mine, was best. But I just felt bitter.
Trusting the Planner
O Lord, You are my God; I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name; for You have worked wonders, plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness. (Isaiah 25:1 NASB1995)
Obviously, I realize that this verse (and the book of Isaiah in general) isn’t about how to handle a situation when a coworker gets the promotion you wanted. But this verse did remind me of the faithfulness behind each and every detail of God’s plan. We have a responsibility as Christians to thank God for His faithfulness toward us, even in—or perhaps, especially in—moments when we’re tempted to drown in self-pity and resentment.
There’s no reason why I need to be embarrassed or resentful or even bummed about my coworkers getting promotions instead of me. Honestly, it’s impossible for me to figure out exactly why Danny and Nina earned promotions and I didn’t. Only God knows. But I do know He works in amazing ways—according to His timetable. His plan has been formed for eternity. And it is trustworthy because He is trustworthy.
*Names have been changed.
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