When You Feel Like a Misfit at Work
Holding On When Life Feels Unfair
You’ve tried to be patient. You’ve pushed through the pain, smiled when your heart was breaking, and kept going—even when life felt like one long stretch of injustice. You’ve done the right thing, prayed the right prayers, and waited for change—a breakthrough that still hasn’t come. You feel tired. Frustrated.
If that’s where you are, let me point you to a message that’s thousands of years old, yet still speaks directly into your present. In Exodus 3:7–8 (NKJV), when God spoke to Moses from the burning bush, He said:
“I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. So I have come down to deliver them…”
These are not just words for ancient Israelites in bondage. These are words for you.
The God Who Sees
Sometimes the hardest part of suffering is the feeling that no one notices. You carry burdens so heavy, yet to everyone else, you appear fine. You show up, do your job, and stay professional—even when your heart feels like it’s breaking under the weight of being mistreated, misrepresented, and misunderstood.
Your coworkers assume things about you that aren’t true. They speak behind your back, twist your words, and overlook your efforts. You walk into meetings and lunchrooms and feel like a stranger, even among people you’ve worked with for years. You wonder if anyone truly sees who you are—or even cares to.
But here’s the truth: God sees you.
He sees how hard you’ve worked, even when others don’t acknowledge it.
He sees the patience you show, even when others provoke you.
He sees the moments when they hushed you as you tried to speak—and how you withdrew into a shell of silence just to keep the peace.
He sees the sly remarks, the unfair evaluations, the subtle exclusions.
And yes, He sees the tears you hold back when no one else is looking.
God saw the oppression of the Israelites long before He called Moses. Their pain was not invisible to Him. He saw every injustice committed against them—every insult, every act of forced labor, every sleepless night. He counted them all.
And He sees your suffering too—not as a blur in a crowd, but with the sharp, high-definition focus of a Father who captures every detail about you. Even the very number of hairs on your head (Luke 12:7).
The God Who Hears
You’ve asked God for the same thing over and over again. But things remain the same. You’re starting to wonder if your prayers even matter anymore.
But Scripture assures us that God hears. He said to Moses, “I have heard their cry because of their taskmasters…”
Every whispered prayer.
Every desperate cry for help.
Every groan too deep for words.
He hears it all. Don’t confuse silence for dismissal. His timing may seem off, but His attention is unwavering.
The God Who Knows
God continued, “for I know their sorrows.” In Hebrew, this knowledge isn’t passive—it’s personal. It’s the deep, empathetic understanding of someone who is fully acquainted with your pain.
God isn’t detached from your suffering. He doesn’t observe your life from a distance. He enters into it. Because of Jesus—who lived it, felt it, and bore it—He knows your sorrow from the inside out.
The God Who Comes Down
Here’s the turning point: God didn’t just see, hear, and know. He acted.
He said, “So I have come down to deliver them.” Not just to feel their pain, but to do something about it. God moved. He stepped in. He delivered.
You may not see it yet, but He is still the God who rescues. Sometimes that rescue is immediate. Sometimes it drags. But it happens. He is already working it out in ways you cannot see. Giving up too early will forfeit unseen stores of blessings he has for you. He may not take you out of your situation right now. What he may desire even more is to bless you in the presence of your enemies (Psalm 23:5).
Be patient. Just as a mother is stirred at the sound of her child’s cry, nothing moves the heart of God like the whimpering cry of one who belongs to Him.
A Note for the Weary
Maybe life has not been fair to you. Maybe the justice you long for hasn’t come. Don’t let that convince you that God has forgotten you. The same God who came down to deliver His people still comes down today—to strengthen and to restore.
Trust that:
You are seen.
You are heard.
You are known.
Just keep showing up. He’s got you.
Step Into Growth: Process → Preserve → Practice
Process
Take a moment to reflect on the parts of your life where you feel most unseen, unheard, or misunderstood. What emotions rise when you think about those places? Now, reread Exodus 3:7–8. Let the words seen, heard, known, and delivered settle into those wounded spaces. Which truth do you need most right now?
Preserve
Write an entry in your Legacy Journal for someone who might one day feel invisible or forgotten. Let them know that God is not distant. Share how you’ve wrestled with the silence, the delays, and the longing—but also how God’s steady presence has carried you through. Your honesty could become someone else's lifeline.
Practice
This week, resist the urge to withdraw or shut down. Keep showing up—with your prayers, your work, your patience, and your hope. And when you’re tempted to believe you’re alone, whisper this truth out loud: God sees me. God hears me. God knows. God comes down.