Have you seen a tiger barb before?? It looks like this:
In a school, it looks something like this:
Tiger barbs are really pretty to look at and are very active, so Mom got a few and put them together in a tank. Little did we know that soon enough, there was a casualty, followed by another. We noticed that the group of fish singled out one fish amongst them and then gang up against it. Soon enough, it would become too weak to defend itself and succumb to an untimely death...
Maybe I'm just being melancholic - but at times, it seems like the office politics tend to operate the same way as tiger barbs in a tank. We may be led to feel like part of the team, but then before we know it, we have become singled out as the black sheep; the odd one out. Just like the tiger barbs, it is not distinctive who the leader of the pack is. But, there is certainty of the attack upon the "victim" like a pack of wolves descending to devour their singled-out prey.
Beyond that, let us be encouraged that there is still a Higher Call, a Higher Purpose... A silver lining in the bleakest of dark clouds. And, be thankful for the occasional sunshine and rainbow that comes along in life.
O Lord my God, I take refuge in you;
save me and deliver me from all who pursue me,
or they will tear me like a lion and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue me...
~ Psalm 7:1-2 ~
The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;
He delivers them from all their troubles.
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit...
The Lord redeems His servants;
no one will be condemned who takes refuge in Him.
~ Psalm 34: 17-18, 22 ~
Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in Him and He will do this:
He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him;
do not fret when men succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.
Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret -- it leads only to evil.
For evil men will be cut off,
but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.
A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you look for them, they will not be found.
But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace.
~ Psalm 37:5-11 ~
I will be encouraged that there is hope and remember to recount the rainbows and butterflies along the way... =)
