As we close out the work week, we get a some timely wisdom from Solomon as it relates to the workplace 

Ecc 10:4  If the ruler’s temper rises against you, do not abandon your position, because composure allays great offenses.

If we upset our superior on the job, and he lashes out at us, we are better off grinning and bearing it, rather than firing back at them and telling them off and then walking off.  

That may satiate our pride immediately, thinking, “well, I told them where to get off” but at the end of the verse, Solomon hits us with a truth that is applicable to all walks of life when we are faced with some kind of conflict.  He tells us “composure allays great offenses”…or put in simpler terms; keeping our cool is usually remembered more than the pile of dung that we stepped in.  

Anger can be very distracting, flipping out at someone can feel good in the moment, but in the end, it is usually something we regret, and have to go back and apologize for.  I am sure we can all relate to this when we have lashed out at our spouses, our co-workers even our bosses.  Anger and foolishness go hand in hand.  

Headed back to the context of our original verse, if we cause our boss to lose our temper with us and keep our cool, the boss usually remembers that in the back of their mind and if they are sensible, they’ll even apologize for losing their temper and recognize us for keeping our cool in a heated situation, so much so, that they’ll eventually overlook whatever we did wrong.

Some good words to remember next to we find ourselves “stepping in it” in the workplace.