“…From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.” Matthew 26:16, NIV

Have you ever had a terrible administrator?

Maybe they gave you negative evaluations without justification. Maybe they flat-out told you they would give you a poor referral if you ever tried to switch schools. Maybe they picked on you for petty things. Maybe they didn’t back you up against a combative parent. Maybe they yelled at you and belittled you in front of students, making you feel humiliated and powerless. Maybe they even persecuted you and singled you out because they discovered you were a Christian.

Here’s the thing about administrators: in the end, they are only people like you and me. And while it’s challenging to navigate working for a difficult one, it’s important to remember that it all boils down to spiritual warfare and the battle for our souls.

The Bible teaches that we are all slaves to one thing or another, but the catch is this: we get to choose our master. On the one hand is Jesus, and on the other is a host of things that seem to take different forms—money, power, false idols, old habits, etc. But even though it seems like there are many possible options, there are really just two: Jesus or Satan. “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other” (Matthew 6:24).

And while Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and comes to us with total transparency about who He is and how much He loves us, Satan is always deceitful. He is the father of lies. He makes all the other options seem attractive simply as bait to hook us—and we know the fate of a fish once it’s hooked!

I want to encourage you today that if you have an admin who seems like they’re on a mission to punish and discourage you, turn the other cheek. Walk a mile with them. Feed them. Give them water. Give them your cloak, too. Overcome evil with good. Love your enemies. And above all, pray for them. Have pity on them—they have chosen a master that gives them nothing but torment. Remember the old adage, “There, but for the grace of God, go I.”

Remember who your real adversary is. “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Eph. 6:12).” The administration is not your enemy. Satan is your enemy. He uses his slaves to do his will, just as we, being willing slaves to Christ, seek to do our Father’s will.

We know that God uses trials to accomplish His purposes, and we know that His purposes are always ultimately good (Jer. 29:11). Perhaps this difficult person was put in your life because God is asking you to pray for them, to demonstrate His love to them, to be His hands and feet. Perhaps they were put in your life to grow you and challenge you to be more like Christ.

Who will you choose this day? Which master will you obey?

Heavenly Father, You are so good. Although trials are difficult for us to bear, we thank You that You are always with us in them, faithful and true. Thank you, God, for being a Good Father. Thank you for being the master who saves us. Please fill me today with Your Holy Spirit so that I might show Your love to those around me. Please give me fresh eyes to see the difficult people in my life not through the lens of my own hurt feelings, but in the way that you see them: lost and hurting souls in need of a Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Copyright Rhapsody Jordan-Parisi.

Rhapsody is a member and high school English teacher from North Carolina. She is passionate about helping struggling teachers strike a balance between success and sanity at her blog, tightropeteaching.com.