something i've been thinking about for quite some time now is what my role is as a christian in my workplace. for the first time in my life, i'm immersed into a place where i'm not surrounded by people who have the same views as i do regarding faith, eternity, and our purpose on this earth. blessed as i was growing up in a home where christ was the head of everything, i never had the opportunity to defend my beliefs. in college, while my friends were as diverse as they come, i spent the majority of my time in fellowship with people from my church community. it wasn't until recently, after graduating from college and moving out on my own to a new city and workplace, where my bubble of all things christian no longer exists.
of course, this comes as no surprise as i wasn't raised ignorant and sheltered from the realities of this world. as a christian, no matter where your setting is, whether it's working for a non-profit christian organization or for a mega multimillionaire corporation, there are always challenges that test your faith. wait.. what?! there are sinners working in ministry?! O_o haha whatever the case, the bible clearly warns us that as a minister of the gospel, our faith will be tested.
i listened to a recent podcast on boundless.org that touched on the topic of christians in the workplace. precisely what's occupied my mind as of recent. one former employee of a fortune 500 corp. described the struggle of a noob wanting to be the best employee and doing his/her best as part of their witness unto the lord - but failing to maintain the balance between selling themselves to the company and keeping their identity. for me, this failure of balance comes from neglecting to voice my opinions in conversation where my beliefs are opposed, picking up weekend shifts... but while i do all this willingly, there are times when i look back on my actions and think, "how did i glorify god today?" what i miss most is the constant hebrews 12 cloud of witnesses in my life.
i've been very fortunate to work with people whom i call my friends. faith values aside, we all get along and have a great time in the office. however, when it comes to spiritual support and building each other up (or lack of), all of a sudden i've become the closet christian. my challenge is to integrate the person i am with the (self-made) expectations of who i'm supposed to be at work. as far as community, the obvious remedy to this problem is plugging into a church or fellowship ...i'm still working on this >_<
my prayer is this - that i have the courage to be intentional in my actions and words at work. without having to mount the pulpit at my desk, i hope that the way i carry myself be evidence of christ-likeness in me. also, to earnestly search for community. i realized that i've reached the point where i no longer consider my current situation as transitionally temporary. it's time to let down some roots.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Friday, August 15, 2008
construction ahead
beside my cottage door it grows,
the loveliest, daintiest flower that blows,
a sweetbriar rose.
at dewy morn or twilight's close,
the rarest perfume from it flows,
this strange wild rose.
but with the rain-drops on it beat,
ah, then, its odors grow more sweet,
about my feet.
oftimes with loving tenderness,
its soft green leaves i gently press,
in sweet caress.
a still more wondrous fragrance flows
the more my fingers close
and crush the rose.
dear lord, oh, let my life be so
its perfume with tempests blow,
the sweeter flow.
and should it be thy blessed will,
with crushing grief my soul to fill,
press harder still.
and while its dying fragrance flows
i'll whisper low, "he loves and knows
his crushed briar rose."
honestly, i've never liked poems. the way they rhyme after every fragmented phrase just sounds so corny to me. and half the time, i can't even comprehend the vague, subjective ideas that are supposedly woven within between the lines.
but this poem, i like. the imagery is just so beautiful! in a season of my life where things aren't going the way i had planned and patience is slowly losing ground to restlessness and worry, i can't help but grasp on to this hope that god has my entire life sitting on his fingertips. as much as i'd like to ball up and hibernate for awhile to escape the pressures of growing up, i'm comforted at the same time, of the blessings that come from relying on god and letting his kingdom resume construction within me.
the loveliest, daintiest flower that blows,
a sweetbriar rose.
at dewy morn or twilight's close,
the rarest perfume from it flows,
this strange wild rose.
but with the rain-drops on it beat,
ah, then, its odors grow more sweet,
about my feet.
oftimes with loving tenderness,
its soft green leaves i gently press,
in sweet caress.
a still more wondrous fragrance flows
the more my fingers close
and crush the rose.
dear lord, oh, let my life be so
its perfume with tempests blow,
the sweeter flow.
and should it be thy blessed will,
with crushing grief my soul to fill,
press harder still.
and while its dying fragrance flows
i'll whisper low, "he loves and knows
his crushed briar rose."
honestly, i've never liked poems. the way they rhyme after every fragmented phrase just sounds so corny to me. and half the time, i can't even comprehend the vague, subjective ideas that are supposedly woven within between the lines.
but this poem, i like. the imagery is just so beautiful! in a season of my life where things aren't going the way i had planned and patience is slowly losing ground to restlessness and worry, i can't help but grasp on to this hope that god has my entire life sitting on his fingertips. as much as i'd like to ball up and hibernate for awhile to escape the pressures of growing up, i'm comforted at the same time, of the blessings that come from relying on god and letting his kingdom resume construction within me.
Status: Deborah is ______________
the age of social networking has grown to a point where i feel people unknowingly judge another based on what is displayed on their personal sites. it makes sense.. with the amount of content that is posted - personal information, affiliated groups, applications that potentially mirror interests, photo albums, etc... whether or not someone intends to, the phrase "what you see is what you get" automatically sets in the unaware.
a part of me enjoys this. when i log into my xanga or facebook, i feel like i intentionally post items or messages so that others may catch a minute glimpse of my beliefs, my character, my oddities. i post things because i know someone is going to read it and thus, understand me a little more than before. however, at the end of the day, i can't help but think to myself that there's so much more to me than recently posted pictures and another funny anecdote. this is partially the reason why i've stopped updating the xanga that i once vowed to continue until the day my fingers are too arthritic to type.
but what about the me who loves to divulge information into the vastness of the world wide web? yep, she still resides in me, looking for yet another avenue of escape. but this time, instead of mass superpokes and witty one-liner status updates, maybe it's time to try something a little more serious. or at least as serious as i can be = ]
the next question is what new platform my blog will stand on. funny stories extracted from my otherwise ho-hum living accommodations? daily reminders of how cute my bunny is? hehee of course i can't guarantee these won't occasionally yield its place in here, but i'd also like to share with whoever bothers to read my ramblings of things i'm constantly learning about myself, of god, and of this life that he's given to me. whoa, how's that for a change!?
i was reading a book yesterday at a bookstore that talked about the characters of a godly man or woman. having gone to sunday school since the age my parents could trust leaving me under someone else's care, i think i have a pretty good grasp of what god requires of his sons and daughters and what it means to please our heavenly father. as for internalizing this knowledge and letting it completely saturate my every breath and thought.. eeeh >_< this is a quality that i want to be expert at. just like the joy that comes with sharing a day with a friend, how much greater would that joy be to share it with thE Boss who like.. made me and stuff?!
so i guess this is where my new blog comes in. definitely not as a substitute for spending time learning about god or as a display of my .godly character. but as a reflection of new and old things that i'm discovering along the way. of course, that's not to say that miraculously, this blog will contain all the tools necessary to form an accurate picture of me, but i like to think that maybe there is more to me than bumper stickers and top friends. = ]
a part of me enjoys this. when i log into my xanga or facebook, i feel like i intentionally post items or messages so that others may catch a minute glimpse of my beliefs, my character, my oddities. i post things because i know someone is going to read it and thus, understand me a little more than before. however, at the end of the day, i can't help but think to myself that there's so much more to me than recently posted pictures and another funny anecdote. this is partially the reason why i've stopped updating the xanga that i once vowed to continue until the day my fingers are too arthritic to type.
but what about the me who loves to divulge information into the vastness of the world wide web? yep, she still resides in me, looking for yet another avenue of escape. but this time, instead of mass superpokes and witty one-liner status updates, maybe it's time to try something a little more serious. or at least as serious as i can be = ]
the next question is what new platform my blog will stand on. funny stories extracted from my otherwise ho-hum living accommodations? daily reminders of how cute my bunny is? hehee of course i can't guarantee these won't occasionally yield its place in here, but i'd also like to share with whoever bothers to read my ramblings of things i'm constantly learning about myself, of god, and of this life that he's given to me. whoa, how's that for a change!?
i was reading a book yesterday at a bookstore that talked about the characters of a godly man or woman. having gone to sunday school since the age my parents could trust leaving me under someone else's care, i think i have a pretty good grasp of what god requires of his sons and daughters and what it means to please our heavenly father. as for internalizing this knowledge and letting it completely saturate my every breath and thought.. eeeh >_< this is a quality that i want to be expert at. just like the joy that comes with sharing a day with a friend, how much greater would that joy be to share it with thE Boss who like.. made me and stuff?!
so i guess this is where my new blog comes in. definitely not as a substitute for spending time learning about god or as a display of my .godly character. but as a reflection of new and old things that i'm discovering along the way. of course, that's not to say that miraculously, this blog will contain all the tools necessary to form an accurate picture of me, but i like to think that maybe there is more to me than bumper stickers and top friends. = ]
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)