Sometimes people come up with the assumption that if you are a Christian and you need a job, you have to go into ministry. Often that does work out well, but I would like to tell you about my experience working in a secular environment.
When I took a job on a roofing crew I really had no idea what to expect. I had done little work on a roof, except on a mission trip. Day one Aaron and I hopped in the car earlier than we were used to even being awake. It wouldn't be long before we realized that would become our daily routine.
Over the next couple of weeks we worked from essentially sunup till past sundown. Lifting heavy things, doing odd jobs, picking up trash. Those are just a few things that we did.
Through it all I stuck out a little from my coworkers, but not in a bad way. I didn't swear (among others things) and they didn't give me grief about it. I met some amazing guys who had amazing work ethic and had learned a lot during their lives. It was awesome to learn so much from people I might not have normally even talked to. I also had the chance to be a light, because people noticed that I didn't do things like swear. A couple times a coworker would even apologize for using a profane word. Not only that, but aaron and I even had the opportunity to have a few faith related discussions. God is so good!
What i just want to point out here, is that maybe when we compartmentalized our lives from our faith, we lose out on what God might be doing in your own workplace. Today I started reading a book called "Job-Shadowing Daniel" by Larry Peabody, and even in the opening pages I am excited to see that I am not the only person who thinks like this.
What I would like to ask you, is what you think? I would love to hear from you and we can keep the conversation going. My email is c.strange.27@gmail.com
Thank you for reading and I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Thought provoking and insightful - thank you! I'm convinced God can use us in our "secular" occupations to animate the good news in surprising ways to the world. I can also recommend "Every Good Endeavor" by Timothy Keller.
ReplyDeletethank you for your insight Sheila, and i also know that you live this out every day! Thank you for your example!
DeleteThank you Charlie for being a Light to your coworkers. Being in the world, but not of the world is challenging - press on! Thanks for sharing about the book - that's one I haven't read - but I bet Tim has read it:)
ReplyDeleteThank you Carol! The book was assigned to us by Owen and Clint so I suspect it will be really good.
DeleteHey Chuckles....thanks for your insights and views into what can be a hard situation. I appreciate and can relate to your comments. Many would look it at as a negative or a "problem" to work with people like this. But its only a "problem" if we choose to make it a "problem" by being overly confrontational or avoiding these people altogether. You have clearly chosen not to do this, and instead are being a Light. You know who else chose this? (starts with J and rhymes with Freeze-us)
ReplyDeleteCheers Charlie....and a big thanks for my lesson today!