Everything's Comin' Up Roses
I Corinthians 2:5 - "That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God."
Here's a fact: Your act of faithfulness to the Lord will not always be rewarded in the work place. Another fact: You may be persecuted for your faith to the Lord.
So now what: Remember the goal.
God expects you to work and serve your employer the best you can do. You either do this or you find another job but God has demanded this of us. The only way to make your work a mission from God is to ask God what mission He wishes for you. He has a design for your work as well as your "real" life. So often, as Christians, we forget to listen to God's directions when we set our work goals, mission statements, weekly planning meeting agendas, and interaction with others at work. He doesn't expect us to disrupt the work environment by "standing on a soap box and preaching at ten in the morning." He does expect us to confer, listen and act upon His plan.
What happens when you are persecuted for being Mr. Nice Guy? What happens when Miss Goody Two Shoes' manners are walked on by the more aggressive? What happens when you have become the office joke for your sensitivity to others. How do you react when you are not included in career building golf outings or after work meetings because you don't drink? What do you do when you are not invited to lunch with The Gang because you don't participate in off color jokes and gossip? I can go on but you get the idea. These aren't made up scenarios. They happen and if you are a Christian supervisor, you have probably already experienced enough to write this article. Accept it, it will happen. Read the verse at the beginning of this note. God states very clearly we are to be concerned with the wisdom He imparts (through reading scripture, talking with God in prayer, and listening/reading other Christian sources) not man's idea of wisdom.
It will not always be easy (you'll hear me say that often). If you keep your eye on God's purpose for your life, even your work life, you can be calm in the face of work place uglies. If you serve your employers with integrity, treat others with the same Grace our Lord used with others, and confer with the Lord on His purpose, the persecution from others will become non eventful. The bed of roses will be your reward in Heaven for doing His will.
Here's a fact: Your act of faithfulness to the Lord will not always be rewarded in the work place. Another fact: You may be persecuted for your faith to the Lord.
So now what: Remember the goal.
God expects you to work and serve your employer the best you can do. You either do this or you find another job but God has demanded this of us. The only way to make your work a mission from God is to ask God what mission He wishes for you. He has a design for your work as well as your "real" life. So often, as Christians, we forget to listen to God's directions when we set our work goals, mission statements, weekly planning meeting agendas, and interaction with others at work. He doesn't expect us to disrupt the work environment by "standing on a soap box and preaching at ten in the morning." He does expect us to confer, listen and act upon His plan.
What happens when you are persecuted for being Mr. Nice Guy? What happens when Miss Goody Two Shoes' manners are walked on by the more aggressive? What happens when you have become the office joke for your sensitivity to others. How do you react when you are not included in career building golf outings or after work meetings because you don't drink? What do you do when you are not invited to lunch with The Gang because you don't participate in off color jokes and gossip? I can go on but you get the idea. These aren't made up scenarios. They happen and if you are a Christian supervisor, you have probably already experienced enough to write this article. Accept it, it will happen. Read the verse at the beginning of this note. God states very clearly we are to be concerned with the wisdom He imparts (through reading scripture, talking with God in prayer, and listening/reading other Christian sources) not man's idea of wisdom.
It will not always be easy (you'll hear me say that often). If you keep your eye on God's purpose for your life, even your work life, you can be calm in the face of work place uglies. If you serve your employers with integrity, treat others with the same Grace our Lord used with others, and confer with the Lord on His purpose, the persecution from others will become non eventful. The bed of roses will be your reward in Heaven for doing His will.
posted by Diane Gibson at
7:39 AM
