Anybody out there really love their jobs? Like, really, really love their jobs?
Do you wake up on a Monday morning (or whatever day your working week starts) feeling energised, inspired and ready for action?
If not, this post is for you...
No Escape from the daily grind
So, work sometimes seems designed to be draining...there's often far more interesting things we'd rather be doing...but we've got to pay our bills, put food on the table and pay for whatever unexpected expenses come our way.
like it or not, most have us have got to keep working for the time being...
Wherever you work it can be stressful, demanding and draining. And of course, since this is a Christian blog the obvious question soon presents itself...where does God fit into all this?
Leaving God at the door
If (like me) you work in a secular environment. You might have been asked to 'leave things at the door' when you get to work...a phrase with some logic of course...the idea is you forget any personal feelings or problems you may be facing so you can focus on what you need to get done; without distractions, prejudices, favouritism or discrimination...a nice phrase...but often easier said than done...
It can be difficult to keep your eyes on God and on higher matters of faith at work; there is busyness, stress, perhaps co-workers don't understand or are actively disrespecting or dismissive or even hostile to our beliefs...it can be easier to 'leave God at the door' to focus only on our work and hide our beliefs from others... I've never made a secret of my beliefs at work, sometimes it would definitely be easier to hide and keep quiet...but how can you 'leave God at the door' when He's with you all the time?
Obviously there is an important difference between walking with God and forcing our beliefs on others or disrespecting them...both of which are inappropriate in most professional settings.
Our heavenly employer
However you feel about your job, love it or hate it... whether you work with 1 person, 1000 people or by yourself; wherever you work and whatever you do, it can be a great opportunity to spread the word and the love of God and to be a positive influence in the world around you.
Ministers, priests and pastors are not God's only full time employees...we all are. We just serve in different arenas...God needs servants, workers and light-bringers in all areas of society...Godly ministers are needed just as much as Godly cleaners, politicians, nurses, lawyers, administrators, carers, soldiers, firefighters, paramedics, accountants and every other possible, conceivable job or responsibility...there are no greater or lesser callings or avenues of service... wherever God places us we can rest assured; even during the bad times, that we're following the greatest boss we could ever have the honour of working for.
A bad day
However much you enjoy your job, I'm sure there are days when you feel disheartened or unfulfilled, maybe you feel like that more often than not...
That's why I decided to write this blog post... I often don't feel fulfilled at work...it has its moments, but sometimes I wish I was doing something 'more' whatever that means. I wanted to write some words of encouragement and challenge to anybody who might have similar feelings about their own careers or place in God's kingdom.
'Only following orders'
It's so important that we remember who we serve; and who our real boss is.
We serve God first and foremost. The decisions we make, the things we choose to do, the orders we choose to follow all play a part in defining us personally and our mission in the kingdom...
We are not just called to be holy on a Sunday but even more so during our working week with those who we will come into contact with....the Salvation Army often refers to their church services as 'meetings'... because as we often say; our service starts after we leave the building...that's where we put into practice all that we are taught and experience on a Sunday.
The well known Bible verse Matthew 6:24 says: "No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.'
Our jobs often make us face this dilemma...do we do what God asks of us, what we know is right...or do we do what our boss asks of us after all they're paying our wages...do we owe them our unquestioning loyalty?
We have to decide who we will serve and where our focus will be... however hard it might be we can't just follow our employer's instructions blindly...our real employer; God comes first...we must never compromise our faith or ideals because of what someone tells us to do;
again I know, that's easier said than done when your employer pays you and ultimately is responsible for you being able to pay bills and keep a roof over your head...but God is with you and will bless your courage in stepping out, He will take care of you...you might be asked to lie to a client or customer, to bend the rules or even break the law...sad to say, but it does happen, and some of the most disgusting and shameful acts in human history have happened because people were 'only following orders' from massacres, to the Holocaust, and even the crucifixion of Jesus...we have to be better and stronger than that.
The Mission
This is the privilege and responsibility of us as believers in the workplace...to be Christ's hands, feet, voice and heart where we are, secular or religious employment, days off, leisure time etc... wherever we are, we are God's employees, His friends, of course. But also called and commissioned to serve Him; not just to pay lip service once a week but all the time in whatever we are doing and whoever we come into contact with.
If we lock ourselves away from the world even in church we miss reaching our full potential and being all that we can be...we miss the opportunity to reach all those that God wants us to reach.
Surviving Shift Work
My own experience of work is as a hospital worker. Obviously a hospital is a 24/7 workplace...we can't close down evenings and weekends or bank holidays; this means that shift work is necessary to keep the place running...shift work is awful when it comes to trying to build any kind of work/life balance...of course wherever you work this can be a struggle, but shift work is particularly draining, there's no sense of continuity or pattern, and forget having a body clock... I'm sure many reading this will have had that experience. It takes over your life and drags you down if you let it, it can damage friendships, personal life and make it harder to get to church and fulfill commitments, it has any number of disastrous consequences...if you let it...and that's the real issue; the fact that all these excuses do not let you off, it might make life difficult or make planning ahead difficult...but you can't let these excuses beat you... you've got to find the reasons why life, church, family are important and make them a priority...no holding back, no excuses!
The only way we'll reach our potential is to grab hold of the opportunities, to reach into the lives of those around us...so when you start your working week and work gets you down, when it's been a struggle just to get out of bed, when you're feeling unfulfilled, unappreciated or wasted at work, remember your true calling, your true job given by God Himself, thank Him for the opportunity to reach others, and for paid employment that so many in our society long for and struggle to find...when you face all these situations, challenges and opportunities; bow your head and, above all else...
Thank God...it's Monday!
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Disclaimer: the opinions and comments expressed in this blog are personal and do not necessarily represent the views and policies of the Salvation Army