Handling False Accusations…My Lord

Have you ever experienced someone falsely accusing you of something? How did you respond? How did it make you feel? I’ve experienced being accused of something so untrue before, and it was one of the most painful and difficult experiences of my life. I didn’t realize how much it affected me until I took a step back and reflected on the situation now. Being lied about and watching people believe it was incredibly hurtful.

Key verses 

Genesis 39:20-23

Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined.

But while Joseph was there in the prison, the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.

Proverbs 10:9

Whoever walks in integrity walks securely,

but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out.

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Transcript

Handling False Accusations, My Lord 

Key verses 

Genesis 39:20-23

Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined.

But while Joseph was there in the prison, the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.

Proverbs 10:9

Whoever walks in integrity walks securely,

but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out.

Have you ever experienced someone falsely accusing you of something? How did you respond? How did it make you feel? I’ve experienced being accused of something so untrue before, and it was one of the most painful and difficult experiences of my life. I didn’t realize how much it affected me until I took a step back and reflected on the situation now. Being lied about and watching people believe it was incredibly hurtful.

I remember when I worked at Macy’s as a Beauty Director, managing 14 stores. I was passionate about my job and excelled in my role. In that position, it was crucial to maintain strong relationships with the store managers because my agenda had to align with theirs. My job was to influence and guide them towards common goals, and I took pride in how well I did it.

I had a particular store manager who never seemed to value my opinions or input about their beauty business. Here’s a bit of background on why I think they felt that way: when I first took the role, I came from a high-performing district with a strong District VP who was well-respected in the company. Our district consistently set the standard for strategy and performance. So, when I moved to this new district, there was a lot of pressure. People looked at me like, “Let’s see how good she really is.”

This store manager seemed to think I was there to spy on their business and report back to my former district, which made no sense since we were all on the same team. But we never managed to build the trust I had hoped for.

During the busy holiday season, each store had a target for building fragrance gift baskets. I was visiting stores regularly to check on progress. At this particular store, they were behind, so I had a conversation with the sales manager to discuss their plan to catch up. They shared their action plan with me, and I moved on to the next store.

Later that day, I was on a regional call with my boss and peers. We each had to report our progress on fragrance baskets and mention which stores were behind. I shared my store’s status, and the call ended. But, one of my peers later shared that information with a sales manager in their district—and it turns out that sales manager was dating the manager from my store.

As you can imagine, my store’s sales manager was upset that their fragrance basket numbers were being discussed in a regional call. They immediately told the store manager, who, instead of coming to me, went straight to HR and accused me of sharing confidential information with another manager! I got a stern call from HR, asking me what I had said, and informing me that a formal complaint was being filed against me.

I was floored and completely confused. I explained that I had been on a regional call where everyone was required to share their results. Eventually, we traced the issue back to my peer who had shared the information. Still, the fact that my store manager thought so little of me and went to HR without even talking to me first was incredibly hurtful.

My HR manager and District VP cleared it up, but they advised me not to confront the store manager about it. To this day, I’ve never spoken about the incident. I did check in with the sales manager to make sure we were on the same page, but that was the extent of it.

Looking back, I can imagine that Joseph felt something similar to what I’ve experienced. In the Bible, Potiphar’s wife falsely accused him of assault, even though he was innocent. Joseph had already been betrayed and sold into slavery by his own brothers, and when he finally started gaining trust in Potiphar’s household, things took a turn for the worse. Because of a lie, he found himself back at square one—in prison.

But even in that setback, God was with Joseph. It’s notable that he was placed in the king’s prison. Scripture suggests there may have been other, worse prisons, but God positioned Joseph in a place where he could continue to rise. Even in this tough situation, God had a plan. Eventually, Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams and became second in command of Egypt. Imagine if he hadn’t been placed in that specific prison!

Despite the false accusations, Joseph remained respectful and diligent in his work. The prison guard saw this, and Joseph was entrusted with running the prison itself. That shows Joseph’s character—his integrity shone through, and God’s favor was there. 

In my own situation, when my store manager created a hostile environment for me, God had a plan for me, too. About five months later, my former District VP took over both districts, and that same store manager came to me for advice on how to work with the new VP. I helped them and gave them guidance, putting my pride aside. The situation came full circle when the Regional VP praised me for how well my stores were doing, particularly the one where I had faced so much difficulty with fragrance baskets. It felt incredible to be acknowledged for my hard work, especially during the holiday season, which is always a challenging time. Even though I don’t work there anymore, I still consider it a major accomplishment.

So key takeaways on dealing with false accusations:

***Proverbs 10:9 NIV

Whoever walks in integrity walks securely,

but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out.

1. Handling False Accusations with Integrity
   Like Joseph, when we’re wrongfully accused, it’s important to maintain integrity. Joseph continued to work diligently, and God favored him because of it. Yes, God stepped in, but Joseph’s actions played a role in earning the warden’s trust. In my case, even though it was uncomfortable, I continued to support the problematic store, meeting with vendors and advocating for great events.
2. Trust God Through the Good, Bad, and Ugly
   Joseph’s story shows that even in horrible circumstances, God has a plan. His brothers intended to kill him, but God saved him, allowing Joseph to be sold into slavery instead. Later, despite being falsely accused, Joseph wasn’t bitter, and God continued to bless him. Joseph’s faith never wavered. In my situation, even when I felt unsupported by my boss and distrusted by the store manager, I remained honest and continued to support the beauty business. God was looking out for me the entire time, and while I did feel upset, I never blamed Him—I just kept praying through it.

So to conclude...

When you’re falsely accused, it can be hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The only way through is to have faith that something better is coming. Joseph had that faith, and he never blamed God for his trials. I wish I had that mindset all my life, but I’ve learned to practice it daily now. When something painful happens, I sit back and ask God, “Why is this happening? What am I supposed to learn from this?” Writing down my thoughts often sparks deeper spiritual conversations with my Lord. 

I’ll never forget when Sage, my daughter, had a brain bleed at 26 weeks. I was sitting alone in the family room, and I felt God whisper in my ear, “She’s going to be okay.” I looked over my shoulder, and a calmness came over me. I knew God was handling it. So, even when I’m falsely accused or wronged, I remind myself: with God, I’m going to be okay. And you know what my friend, so are you. 

Let’s pray