Want to Get More Spiritually Engaged at Work? There’s an App for That.
Sometimes it seems like God is everywhere, except at work. We behold God’s glory in the sanctuaries. We extol his handiwork in the beauty of nature. We consider His tender mercies in the warmth of our friendships and family. But now pan the camera over to the manufacturing plant floor, or to the rows of cubicles in the corporate office tower, and – Ooops! Where’d He go? I swear, He was just there a minute ago! Wasn’t that Him there in the car with me when I drove in?
I don’t know exactly when this happened, or why, but for most of us there is a huge disconnect between our spiritual lives and our working lives. When I complain about this to my friend and spiritual-business mentor, Dr. Payne, he frequently reminds me of the obvious: If I believe that God is infinitely loving and omnipresent, then he is already at my job, whether I acknowledge it or not. All I have to do is get better at recognizing His presence, and bring Him more fully into my work situations. The only problem is, I keep forgetting.
One of the most frustrating things about trying to live out our spiritual lives at work is that it is difficult to monitor our engagement throughout the day. I don’t know about you, but instead of thinking about the work of the Holy Spirit, I usually get caught up in work itself: the stress, the action of the deal, the next phone call, meeting or email - whatever is going on in the heat of the moment. Even when an effort is made to start off the day with a spiritual download through meditation, prayer or scripture reading, it seems that once I hit the office door and enter the fray of the business swirl, my spiritual intentions can quickly vaporize into thin air.
An entire day can easily go by without giving a second thought to how our daily work activity connects to our spiritual purpose. This may very well cause us to miss out on many opportunities to do good. Or worse yet, create a lack of spiritual meaning in our jobs which can lead to outright burnout. Did someone need a word of encouragement, but we blew them off instead? Was that discipline doled out too harshly? Was there a difficult meeting that could have been enhanced by a brief prayer beforehand, instead of indulging in the panicky anxiety rising up in your gut? Are we getting a bit too focused on that bonus? There are so many opportunities to bring God’s spirit into the workplace, but most of the time we just forget to do it.
So then, exactly how are we supposed to stay spiritually engaged at work? What I think we need is some kind of application tool, a spiritual-tracking device that buzzes or dings us just at the right moment to keep us on course. Perhaps it might also include a robotic but breathy and attractive female voice, one that can direct us to recalibrate our thoughts towards a higher spiritual plane. I can imagine how helpful that would be in a moment of stress:
“Barker, get over here! Where are those financial reports I asked for? I needed them yesterday to prepare for my Board presentation! Now I’m going to be up all night long, you lousy, no-good…”
DING!
Breathe.
Recalibrate.
God’s Spirit is in You.
“Er.. Hey Barker, buddy, what’s been going on with you? Is everything alright? Hey, I really was depending on you for those financial reports. What? I never asked you for them? Gosh, I apologize. Can you help me out, then? You see, I have this really important meeting tomorrow with the Board, and you could save my skin if you were able to help me compile some reports. Can we take a look at your schedule?”
DING! DING! DING!
Well done, good and faithful servant.
Continue on.
To your.
Next.
Station.
Since I couldn’t find a spiritual calibration application for my i-phone, I have developed one myself, and I am more than willing to share it with you. It is a simple, five-step process that you can apply directly to your work life to improve your business-spiritual connection, immediately. Well, maybe not immediately. I have learned that spiritually speaking, immediacy is not necessarily the best goal. It’s not like you can approach spiritual growth the same way you attack next quarter’s net earnings target. Spiritual growth is more like a slow-cooker. First you have to throw in all right ingredients, and then you have to let them simmer and stew real good over time. After a while, your friends will come over to you and say, “Mmmm, something smells good! What have you been up to over here?”
So, your first application is to wait patiently. You can do that, right? Stay tuned for next week’s post, where you will get an STC exclusive: The Five Rules of Spiritual Engagement at Work.
Nice post. I can really identify. Can’t wait to read the followup next week.
This is my first visit to your blog, and I must say that you’ve got your work cut out for you! Bravo on tackling the theme, my friend.
D.
You hit the nail on the head. This was my story for years, too. I’m curious for the “Five Rules” but here’s what worked for me:
During my “spiritual download” (quiet time in the morning) I’d jot down a Bible verse for that day on a little piece of paper. In times of stress, near deadlines, troubles, before heavy phone calls, overworked team members I’d go to the restroom, grab the little piece of paper and be reminded of the Bible verse.
Because the word of our God stands forever (Isaiah 40:8) this would cause me to perspective the situation again. Side effect is that you memorize the Scripture. It also created opportunities for the Holy Spirit to move and be the Helper.
Blessed are those who visit the restroom to get more spiritually engaged.
I presently have the luxury of working primarily at home. Yet I also work away from home at times, I help my husband (a police officer) decompress from work, and I remember well the days when living my faith was tested in a 40-hr work environment. I do appreciate what’s being said here.
May I share a testimony?
The last full-time office job I had involved numerous tests of faith. One incident involved a group of co-workers joining forces to verbally attack me before the department administrator. I had only a few seconds warning, and uttered the brief prayer, “Lord, whatever else happens, please give me strength to not dishonor You.” I was able to withstand their tirade with dignity and humility. The next morning I entered the office to an unprecedented yelling match as one woman shouted down the others for what they’d done. Then she told me in front of everyone that she admired the way I’d handled it.
For three years in that workplace I’d lived out my faith quietly. My cubicle evidenced a few Jesus and Bible decorations, but I rarely felt the Spirit’s prompting to speak about Him. He knew all along that I wouldn’t need to mention His name when it mattered most.
This post is like coming face-to-face with my own day-to-day reality. And lately, it’s been worse. We’ve been going through an extended period of organizational change. We can see the outlines of the change but not much beyond. One organization becomes three. No one is quite sure who’s really responsible for what. And every day brings a new crisis.
It helps to: take time to breathe deep; talk with friends; spend time quietly in prayer (as opposed to an official “quiet time”); write some things I feel inspired to write; and realize each day, and usually many times a day, who is walking right beside me. And then lean on him. Hard.
I got a good smile from this… “Ooops! Where’d He go?”
Now, about that recalibration… maybe the breathy female voice could also read you some poetry?
no rules
no no no
no
rules
anything
but
rules
Brad, you and Robert Brault (A Bob Brault Reader) make me think every time I tune in to your station. Lately I’ve been thinking pretty seriously about King David , who was, as you know, engaged in business. Before he wore a crown and sat on a throne, he was also in business: tending sheep. Talk about boring chores! How’d you like to be working on the night shift, w/out air conditioning, benefits, music being piped in, and no protection from the elements or wild animals. The more I think about the man, the more I realize that he discovered the real secret of true success in any endeavour. It never had anything to do with acts (dull and boring, or exciting and demanding). It always has to do with attitude. As you know, someone noted early on that he was “a man after God’s own heart.” That, I’m convinced, was the key to his success as a shepherd as well as in his role as a king and ancestor of Jesus. With that attitude, he was able to endure the stink of sheep manure as well as the sweet smell of success as a monarch. It was also the unbreakable bond that brought him back when he strayed off course.
Intriguing.
Jean
Hey, my church already has an app for that!
We’re doing a series on Soul Revolution, the book by John Burke. As described in the book, everyone is setting their watches/timers to go off every hour (for 60 days) to remind us to seek God’s will for whatever situation we’re in at the time. There’s been a lot of random beeping going on, but it’s helped many of us not get lost in our work-a-day world.
Your post reminded me of myself before I left Corporate America to become self-employed. My daily grind became more manageable when it hit me that the God of the universe and the God of me was also the God of American Greetings…and everything going on there…whether or not those around me realized it.
My bad for not responding on these comments sooner (like you guys care, right?), but there are so many great ideas here!
First of all, welcome to the new STC visitor/commenters, Jean, Kate Rein, and Daghtridge. Jean, I really like your concise response. I am definitely too wordy most of the time! Daughtridge, I hope you have come back to visit by now. And Kate, that is a very cool idea that I had not heard yet.. and alarm clock for God! What an incredibly simple but useful idea. Sounds like it is working, too.
Don, I love your vivid descriptions of biblical characters. Yes, at the end of the day it’s our attytude that probably drives more of our spiritual engagement at work than anything else. The attitude, not the action. Well said. Some of us, however, are more tuned in to good attitudes than others?
Leon – you win the prize for most original – visiting the rest room to get spiritually engaged. Why not? GOd is everywhere, right?
The rest of you guys – thanks for the thoughts and ideas. I am re-reading them and feel so encouraged!