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.
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