Hey,
everyone! I hope everything is slowly getting back to normal wherever you are.
Here in Tennessee, most restrictions have been eliminated in my county. It’s
been great to go out to eat and just bask in this narrow glimmer of normalcy.
Even though we are far from defeating this virus, it’s good to experience some joys
that make this life wonderful. Oh, and baseball is back (if only for 60 games)!
Summer can officially commence!
One
of the unintended benefits of this pandemic is that it has afforded many of us
the time to sit back and evaluate the world in which we live. Given that we
spend 40+ hours at work each week, it is natural for our mind to astutely
evaluate our workplace environments. Over the past couple of days, I have been
thinking about how our Christian faith and our role in the workplace intersect.
I’m guessing that most of you, like me, work in a corporate, secular setting. However,
what I am about to share also applies in a Church or other type of Christian setting.
Without a doubt, faith in the workplace is a touchy subject. Ask a hundred
people about this relationship and you’ll likely get a hundred different
answers. My answer is that faith can thrive and even grow within the workplace.
So now the million-dollar question – how do we make this happen?
The
simple answer is that we must exist in the workplace as the people God intended
us to be – shortcomings and all. For those of us that work in a secular
setting, we are unable to plaster Scripture verses all over our cube or jump up
on a table in the lunch room and deliver a revival-esque sermon with the zeal
and force of a prize fighter looking to land a knockout blow. There are much
more subtle and effective ways to reveal the love of Christ to all we encounter
in our workplace.
First,
we must be careful not to ram our Christian views down anyone’s throat. This
tactic is not only ineffective, it’s also un-biblical. Throughout the course of
Jesus’s earthly ministry, He never forces anyone to follow Him. Does John chapter 6 ring a bell?
It should.
At
the beginning of John 6, Jesus feeds the five thousand. Subsequently, large
crowds begin to follow Him in anticipation of future miracles. Jesus then delivers the Bread of Life
discourse in which He makes some statements that send shockwaves through the
crowd. As a result, many in the crowd walk away from Jesus. Does Jesus force
them to turn around and return to Him?
Nope.
In
fact, Jesus asks His most trusted disciples if they want to leave too. Par for
the course, Peter speaks up and none of the disciples desert Christ. I saw all
this to reiterate the notion that we can’t force faith in Christ on anyone.
Moreover, it’s impossible to force faith on someone as faith is divinely initiated
from above. Trust the Holy Spirit to do its work and don’t overstep your
boundaries – especially in the workplace.
So
then, how do we operate more gracefully to make the love of Christ evident? At
work, this is most apparent in our day to day behavior and demeanor. For those
of us who already know the power of Christ, this manifests itself in the fruits
of the spirit. For those unaware of the nine fruits of the Spirit, they are as
follows:
·
Love
·
Joy
·
Peace
·
Patience
·
Kindness
·
Goodness
·
Faithfulness
·
Gentleness
·
Self-Control
Commit these to
memory!
How do we react in the workplace when
something goes wrong? Do we exhibit patience, kindness, and self-control or do
we blow up and create additional problems? As Christians, we must act differently
than those who do not possess the guiding hand of the Holy Spirit. We must act
in such a way that non-believers say to themselves, “There’s just something
different about those Christians”. Doing so may even lead to others approaching
you to talk about your faith. They may become genuinely curious about the sense
of peace you project in your demeanor. Always be open to these conversations!
By just listening intently when these conversations present themselves, others
may be crying out and declaring their need for a Savior – even if they don’t
realize it at the time. Actions certainly speak louder than words.
Furthermore, in the workplace, we must
have the attitude that we exist to serve rather than to be served. No one in history exemplified this attitude
more than Jesus Christ, Himself. Jesus didn’t come to serve kings and the
religious elite of His time. He spent most of His time serving those who were
poor, downtrodden, or just plain ol’ down on their luck. The woman at the well
and the blind man who had his sight restored are great examples of how Jesus
displayed a servant nature. Likewise, we must position ourselves as servants
within the workplace. We must be a servant not only to our boss or our boss’s
boss, but also to those who may be lower on the food chain than we are. This
week, try prioritizing requests from others on your team over your own interests
and see how your mindset transforms. Having a team-oriented mindset is often
infectious and builds rapport.
What do we do when we make mistakes at
work? We all make mistakes – it’s part of who we are. It’s a key consequence of
being dead in sin via the fall. I’d argue that if you never make mistakes or
fail, you may be lacking an innovative mindset. Accountants, such as myself,
are often among the worst at challenging our tried and true methods. The SALY (same
as last year) approach is a hallmark of accounting practice. When mistakes are
made, the first step is to own your mistake. Never pass blame – the buck for
your work stops with you, especially if you are in a leadership position. Be willing
to accept responsibility for failure even if it leads to blowback in the
short-term. Holding yourself accountable when you make mistakes will almost
certainly earn more respect in the long-term. Learn from your mistake and
resolve to never let it happen again.
What happens when you receive blame for
something at work that truly wasn’t your fault? Occasionally, this will happen.
It’s never fun, but sometimes is a reality. In these cases, it is best not to
argue your case as it will only lead to further issues. Be willing to ‘take one
for the team’ every now and then. This will earn the respect of your peers.
Once again, this is a biblical principle and we look to Jesus for the ultimate example.
Although Jesus was blameless and without sin, He willingly took up the Cross to
secure salvation for all mankind who should place their trust in Him. Of course, our petty issues at work are
miniscule compared to Christ’s ultimate sacrifice. However, it illustrates the servant
mindset we must have when dealing with others.
I hope you’ve found some of these tips to
be helpful. Now I want to hear from you! What are some ways in which you exude
the love of Christ to others in the workplace? Please comment below.
In Christ,
Kendal May
