Yesterday was the 20th anniversary of one of the most important days of my life. On October 5, 1991, Theresa and I said “I do and I will”!
In honor of that day 20 years ago, we spent the entire day together just having fun. We reflected on the past 20 years. We looked at old pictures, we told stories, we laughed, we questioned why on a few things that have happened in our lives. We shared two fabulous meals. We visited the site of the soon to open world renowned Crystal Bridges Museum.
And then we went to the movies. But this was not just any movie. This was a movie about life. About the very fabric of why we are here. About our marriages, our children, our work, and our faith. About being COURAGEOUS in living with great purpose in each of those arenas of life.
You may be familiar with the organization that also brought us the movies Fireproof and Facing the Giants. These are powerful examples of using media to impact our culture in positive ways.
For men and women, but especially Dad’s, take the time this weekend to see this movie. I find it impossible to believe that your life at home and at work will not be profoundly impacted.
Each of us have been given a specific role in our work. For some of us, it’s clearly defined. For others, it seems to change every day. But we each have our gifts and abilities that we bring to the job.
Some of us are really good at what we do. Our impact is real. Maybe even visible. And it’s human nature to be proud of our accomplishments. We may even be tempted to make sure our accomplishments are known. To make sure…we get the credit. Why? We have ego’s. We have house payments. We have goals and aspirations.
But our friend Paul, gives us a great visual image of how that needs to look if we are focused on our Relationship with God at work. He encourages us to plant. He encourages us to water. But he is very clear about who makes things grow!
I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. 1 Corinthians 3:6-8
In our self-centered world, it’s hard to do our jobs with excellence, then give God all the glory. If we are to “succeed”, we need some of that glory. And indeed, this story tells us that we will be rewarded! That reward may not be what we expect it to be, but we will be rewarded nonetheless!
For those of you that could not attend the WorkMatters Eight to Five event in early September, here are some tools to help you on your faith@work journey.
This month we are focusing on the first and most important of the Seven Pillars of Faith at Work – RELATIONSHIP. Here are seven simple “how to” tips to help you be successful in abiding with God at work:
Morning bible reading and prayer - include your work!
We are blogging this month on the first of Seven Pillars…Relationship. Specifically, how we can walk with God all day, every day, but especially in our work. But it’s hard, isn’t it? The menial tasks. The grind. Deadlines. Worry. Money…and the list goes on.
But God calls us to see it differently, doesn’t he? He calls us to see our work as a blessing, not a curse. To understand that our work is a mission, or at least it can be if we let it. To treat our work as worship to Him.
Do you need some inspiration to see a higher purpose in walking with God at work? Watch this video. Watch it to the end because it’s the last five minutes that really matter.
Now…what do you do with what you just witnessed?
How can your life and your work have deeper meaning?
What does your relationship with God look like now?
It’s up to you…
“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’Matthew 25:23
“But, how do you do it? I understand intellectually living my faith at work, but what does that really mean? And how do I do it?”
That question, asked in a variety of different ways, is the most often asked question of WorkMatters. Last Friday, we launched a new flavor of our Eight to Five marketplace ministry focused on answering that question!
The first and most important Pillar…RELATIONSHIP…was our focus on Friday. Our relationship with God at work is crucial and it is foundational to the other six Pillars!
Join hundreds of your peers as we go deeper this month on abiding with God at work. We will talk about it here, and we will be introducing additional tools and resources to help you on your journey.
Tomorrow…we’ll discuss what keeps us from abiding with God at work.
What would happen if your work today was captured on video? I’m talking every minute…all day long. Every conversation. Every decision. Every action. Every reaction. Every thought (are you kidding me?)… all captured on video. Then tomorrow, we sit down together and watch the game film!
Monday night, I attended an incredible event…Raise the Bar Rally in northwest Arkansas. The organizing team, led by ESPN’s Jimmy Dykes, were praying for 700 men to come to a night of hope, challenge and change.
1,400 showed up! Four men shared personal real life stories that were as real and painful and direct as you can imagine. In addition, several current and former University of Arkansas coaches and athletes shared challenges via video.
Of all of the impactful words spoken, Jimmy Dykes shared one that really stuck with me. Watching the game film. He talked about how painful it is to see the mistakes you made and to see how you can get better. But that wasn’t the challenge. The challenge was “what are you going to do about it?” You have to act to get better!
Can you take some time this week to get quiet…and watch your game film? Where do you need to raise the bar? Write it down. Pray about it. Ask God for the wisdom to know what to do…and the courage to do it!
“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” James 1:22
Do you think that God has uniquely wired you? Created you with a special purpose in mind? Did He give you work that you can use to honor Him?
Listen to what God says about your wiring, your gifting, your skills:
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” Psalm 139:13
“Before you were born, I set you apart for a special work.” Jeremiah 1:5
“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10
“Don’t compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.” Galatians 6:4-5 MSG
But, do you know that most people never really focus on their gifts? One study from an HR firm showed only 1% of their clients made a serious study of their skills.
Is it easy to figure out your gifting? NO!
Do your skills and interests change and evolve, as you have life experiences? YES!
But, be intentional about it. Research it. Pray about it. Then, see how God calls you to work!
Is there a better “feel good” word than encouragement? Have you ever received bad encouragement? Do you receive too much encouragement? Do you give too much encouragement?
This past Monday I participated in a very simple, but incredibly powerful exercise on encouragement. Prior to sharing a devo and our WorkMatters vision with the employees of NorthStar Partnering Group in Fayetteville, AR, they passed out a sheet of paper and a pen to every team member. Each person was asked to write their name at the top of the page and hand it to someone else in the room. They wrote one encouraging statement about that coworker, then passed it on to someone else. After each paper had four comments written, it was folded in half and placed in a bowl to be distributed back to the owner.
As I reviewed the encouraging comments that came back to me, I was struck by the power those words carried. The entire room was uplifted!
In the marketplace, it’s so easy to become critical and judgmental. The pace, the pressure to deliver, demanding bosses, different approaches to solving the same problems, and the list goes on…
Here are three simple suggestions for us all:
Play the “Encouragement game” in your place of work.
Before you criticize or judge, think it through. See if there is a better way to communicate your message.
Be intentional with your encouragement of coworkers, peers, bosses (spouses, children…you get the point).
“Therefore, encourage one another with these words.” 1 Thessalonians 4:18
Wisdom…do you have a friend that seems to always have a deep and meaningful perspective on life? I do. Actually several. But I want you to meet Russell Williams. Russell and I went to high school together. He is one of the smartest, most talented men you will ever meet. His work? He has been an over the road truck driver for years.
About once a month I receive multiple texts all at once from Russell on a random subject he is thinking about. It’s always thought provoking. I wanted to share with you his latest wisdom, this on the subject of finding joy in our work (and the rest of life):
“Lots of Church, society and culture unwittingly encourages us to be dour and serious. Good sometimes, but it breeds depression if taken too far. Have fun with life. I really believe God wants us to be joyful! ‘Suffering’ needs no cultivation. There is plenty of it and it does just fine on its own. What we have to concentrate on is finding joy and peace in the midst of the chaos. Venerating loved ones is the key to connecting to God and peace, I think.
Lots of people make cleaning, working out, practicing, managing health and money correctly, maintaining healthy relationships and doing work to be ’suffering’. That is wrong. Those things should be made joyful!
What do you think? Is it possible for you to be joyful in your work?
Today, let’s try it on for size. Let’s focus on the heart of our work and those we interact with today. Comment back with your experiences.
I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. John 15:11
