Do not fret yourself because of evildoers;
   do not be jealous of those who do wrong.   

For they shall soon wither like the grass,
   and like the green grass fade away.  

Put your trust in God and do good;
   dwell in the land and feed on its riches.  

Take delight in God,
    who shall give you your heart's desire. 

Commit your way to God and put your trust in God,

                                                                 Psalm 37:1-9 (St. Helena Psalter) 

A friend once confided in me her frustration with the people she worked with. She knew of one colleague who blatantly curried the favor of her superiors with flattery and she saw another secretly inflating the record of his sales. And it seemed as though these dishonest practices benefited those individuals while her faithful and quiet pursuit of responsibilities went largely unnoticed and unrewarded. I remember referring her to Psalm 37 which advises "Do not fret yourself because of evildoers; do not be jealous of those who do wrong...Do not fret yourself over the one who prospers, the one who succeeds in evil schemes. Refrain from anger, leave rage alone; do not fret yourself; it leads only to evil."

We can get stuck in the mire of daily injustice. We can be consumed by resentment of those who prosper from selfish schemes. And then, we lose sight of what is good and honorable and true; we lose sight of who we are.

"Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him. Commit your way to the Lord and put your trust in him...and he shall give you your heart's desire." Turn your eyes and your heart to God; seek God's face and walk in God's way and God's power will sustain you in your integrity. The crooked ways of the world fade in the light of God's loving countenance and we are saved, yet again, from that which will harm us.