Worthwhile Work
We all have peaks and valleys at work. Some days the sense of accomplishment overwhelms us. Some days we wish we would have stayed home or even worse, that we had a different job. Throughout this all our co-workers are watching us. They can see our actions change with our moods. We are watched in a different way because we follow Christ. Do we join in the conversation that we know does not honor God? Do we complain about the workload or job assignments we don't like, or do we work towards the completion of the job with integrity helping others along? It can often be a slippery slope. Small compromises add up over time hurting our story. We must always be aware of our influence at work, our witness depends on it.
My work schedule dictates that I work very odd hours. A twelve hour shift is a very long time to be in the presence of others. I have also been blessed to work with the same small group of people for a long time. Whether you want to or not you will grow closer to each other. I have close friends that I have not worked on a project over night before, but I have co-workers that I consistently spend the wee-hours of the morning with. They get to witness me at the absolute most tired, spent, worn out I will ever be. In a nutshell, they see me at my worst. But I am also honored to hear stories about their families. I know their children's names and what is going on in their lives. I realize it is a unique situation, but there is genuine caring involved. Because of this, my relationship with Christ is able to be shared.
We spend an amazing amount of time at work. It simply makes sense that our relationship with Christ would overflow into our work lives. Our integrity is constantly put to the test, but when we view our vocation as our ministry it makes it easier to serve our co-workers in kindness and love. In 1 Corinthians 16:14 Paul admonishes us to "Let all that you do be done in love." This is so hard to do when it seems like a co-worker is actively trying to sabotage you. But love we must. Work with integrity we must. Care about our co-workers we must, because when they see that we do all these things they just may ask why. And when they ask why we are ready to tell them.
Much like the amazing amount of time we spend sleeping during our lifetime, we spend a similar amount of time at work. We may even average more time with our co-workers than waking hours with our families. Our witness for Christ is the brightest when we carry the love he has shown us, over to a group of people we may not agree with but we care about and work hand in hand with on a daily basis.