10 MINUTE READ

From Luke’s Journal Sept 2025 | Vol. 30 No. 2 | Success-Failure

For much of my working life, it never really occurred to me that I had enemies, people who wanted to discredit and destroy me. My life as a medical general practitioner, a GP, had mostly been a satisfying one, in which I had done my best to help people, and in return, had gone home from work most days with that happy feeling that people liked me.

Then I found myself working in a difficult and dysfunctional practice amongst a population of needy people. I decided to work in this place for various reasons, some self-centred (it was well paid and it appeared to be an easy job) and some altruistic (I thought I could make a difference by improving a medical service that was clearly struggling). I believed that something I could offer might improve the health and well-being not just of the patients, but even of the medical centre itself.

But.

I was throwing myself naively into a battleground.

The first year or so was harder than anticipated, but seemed to be going well as I settled into a job which was well outside my comfort zone. It was in the second year that things started to go wrong. I received a complaint from a patient. I had phoned the patient after receiving a message that she needed a prescription renewal, but what followed was a half-hour confrontation with my failure as a doctor. I became aware that the patient believed I had tried to damage her reputation by speaking negatively about her to management. Her complaint was unfounded, but despite my protestations of innocence, something had convinced her that I had betrayed her trust and put her in harm’s way. She made it clear to me that she intended to report me to the appropriate authorities. It seemed nothing I said could persuade her otherwise.

I was bewildered and upset by the allegation and lost much sleep as I searched my soul to try to recall anything I might have said or done that could have led her to these conclusions about me. It became apparent over the ensuing weeks that I was caught in a conflict that was much bigger than me, and about which I had no real knowledge. I was simply a pawn in a political power play of which I was unaware. The complaint was actually an attack on the health centre’s management, of which I, as the senior doctor (though not an owner), was a part. As it turned out, a formal complaint to the Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC) was never made, but the threat plunged me into anxiety.

This complaint, however, paled into insignificance compared with those that followed, which were made, not by patients, but by my colleagues. Complaints were made by two registrars whom I was supervising, with clear support from a third registrar who was supervised by a doctor in a different practice. I was reported to the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) for comments that I had made, which were misconstrued as racist, as well as to the HCCC (and hence, the Medical Board) for gross clinical incompetence, and for unethical practices, such as prescribing opiates to drug seekers. It was claimed I was not fit to practice and was a danger to the public, calling for my registration to be withdrawn.

The confronting thing about these complaints was that up until that point, I had believed I had a good relationship of mutual respect with all three of these doctors. I had spent many hours with each of them and at no stage had I perceived that they were unhappy with me or disliked me. I was very aware that each of them had a strong dislike for management, which they believed had not accorded them the respect and autonomy they deserved as doctors. In retrospect, I realise that their dissatisfaction came from disappointment that I had not joined their attacks against management. They saw me as their representative at the management level, but I had failed to get them what they wanted, that is, the dismissal of those in management (which was clearly beyond my ability anyway). They wanted me as their ally, but came to see me as their enemy. It was easier to destroy me than management. Even destroying me would inflict a powerful blow, a “win” in the conflict they had taken on.

Since the complaints were made to official bodies, they were all investigated in detail. Each complaint was dismissed as unfounded and vexatious. Although I was vindicated, I was left with a painful recognition that these doctors had chosen to become my enemies.

I learned (perhaps for the first time) that with leadership comes the possibility of being misunderstood, disliked and attacked.

Do not accept a leadership role unless you can cope with these.

For many months that year, sleeplessness, distress and anxiety were my constant companions. I became quite depressed. My ability as a doctor was under fire, but also my character. Even if the complaints were all dismissed, I realised that I was working with people who wanted my downfall, people who wanted me gone. I responded by working harder, but I had lost the joy of work and the joy of life. I was constantly looking over my shoulder, wondering when the next attack would come. I realised I was caught in a conflict that was not just physical, but spiritual. I recognised the strategies of the enemy (accusations and lies, distrust and betrayal) – typical ways of separating people from each other and destroying any good they might be doing in caring for the sick and needy.

I was sustained during this time by the word of God to me, including encouraging and challenging words spoken by people (both believers and non-believers) who wondered what was going on with me, but also by written words to which I daily returned, especially the book of Psalms:

“My enemies have set a trap for me.
I am weary from distress.
They have dug a deep pit in my path,
but they themselves have fallen into.”
(Psalms 57:6 NLT).

The words of King David resonated and gave me comfort. As I read his poems and songs, I found someone who understood the feelings of persecution and victimhood that I was experiencing.

Three doctors resigned during that year of struggle, all of them angry and disappointed with me as much as with the practice. It was easier when they were gone, of course, but I soon realised that the spiritual battle was still raging. Though we doctors tend to think of health care as primarily a battle against natural forces of illness and injury, I have realised that we are just as much engaged in a spiritual battle against brokenness, trauma and fear, and as much in ourselves and our colleagues as in our patients.

“Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith.” (1 Peter 5:8-9a NLT).

How are we to face these weapons of the enemy?

King David had an effective strategy.

He drew near to God.

In a psalm of David, we read:

“My heart is confident in you, O God;
my heart is confident.
No wonder I can sing your praises!
Wake up, my heart!
Wake up, O lyre and harp!
I will wake the dawn with my song.
I will thank you, Lord, among all the people.
I will sing your praises among the nations.
For your unfailing love is as high as the heavens.
Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens.
May your glory shine over all the earth.”
(Psalms 57:7-11 NLT).

Postscript

Injustice and false accusations are hard to navigate. It is hard enough to deal with the failings we recognise in ourselves, without having to deal with accusations we know are untrue.

As followers of Jesus, what strategies can we use?

1. Pray. Ask the Holy Spirit for discernment. If false allegations have been made, remind yourself constantly of the truth. Believe what God says of you rather than what others say.
2. Read and meditate on a psalm a day. There is great comfort there, and it helps to relieve the loneliness that accompanies situations like these.
3. Worship. Speak words of praise to God and sing words of praise to God. Use the psalms. Use the hymns and songs you have learnt over the years. Listen to contemporary Christian songs if that is helpful, especially songs that speak of lament. Do not neglect attending the weekly gathering of your own congregation.
4. Love your enemies. This is the hardest, but it is what Jesus taught us to do. Pray for those who persecute you, every day. How you love your enemies will depend on the circumstances, but the challenge is there. Recognise the spiritual battle that is raging, and forgive your enemies. That’s what Jesus taught us: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing” (Luke 23:34a NLT). Ask God to bless them.
5. Do not isolate yourself, but do not share your troubles with everyone who asks. It is important to have a few people with whom you can share what is going on in confidence. Choose these few people carefully only if you trust them completely. If they are believers, accept their prayers for you. Learn to recognise the angels that God sends your way and thank Him for them.
6. Do not go into battle for yourself, but let the experts, the medical defence organisations and the lawyers handle the matters that have arisen. I have found them to be immensely helpful in each situation that has arisen, both from a legal point of view, but also by their empathic listening and advising.
7. Seek reconciliation, rather than victory. That is the best way to a better workplace and a happier you. Often it is not possible, but that does not mean we should not work for it.
8. Depend on God. He is our rock and our salvation. Trust Him to carry you through and vindicate you. Cry out to Him, be angry, weep and lament in His presence. He can handle you beating His chest with your fists. He has been in the place you have been and knows how it feels.

God loves you.

---