Inside on the Outside…
“Leave It Outside…” should have generated more than a few questions about sharing your faith in the workplace. Did I share my faith at work? Yes, I did. But I did so only when a staff member brought up the subject, thus initiating the discussion, and asking for my input. How did I get staff members to ask me my opinion? Now that is the challenge here isn’t it?
First, there is a significant difference between nurturing a prejudice and sharing one’s faith. This will hold true until the person you are sharing with becomes offended by what you said. When this occurs, plan on receiving politically correct sensitivity training and firm counseling about your obvious transgression. This places you in a precarious position. You now know your responsibility in the Great Commission, to share your faith, can cost both your job and your livelihood. This places you in a no-win position…or does it?
Communications 101 holds the key to overcoming this dilemma. There are three parts to the communications process: the Sender, the Message, and the Receiver. It is the responsibility of the Sender to select the correct type of Message that will insure the Receiver successfully receives the message that was intended. There are countless applications for this basic model, but for our purposes we will focus on the Message.
To comply with the challenges of the Great Commission, you must live your experience daily in word, thought, and deed. In word, insure your words reflect the values and the teachings of the Lord. In thought, the basis of how you see those around you is built on how the Lord sees and views the world. Through deeds, you act upon the moral imperatives that are part and parcel of your personal relationship with God.
Prayer is an excellent place to start. Prayer is two-way communications with God; yes, two-way. To begin, skip the formalized King James prayers, using thee and thou along with the rest of the Old English forms. God hears and knows all of your thoughts, so don’t waste time formalizing and organizing it. You can say it, aloud or otherwise, and He hears it. His answers most likely will not be written across the sky in emerald smoke, so you must watch for the method He chooses to send His response.
Your deeds make the greatest impact. If you want your relationship with God to be seen by those around you, then your strongest testimony will be what you do and how you react to others. Special attention will be given to how well you deal with key issues. Get a passing grade on this, and your opinion will be sought by others. This will not always be on issues of faith, but this form of dialog begins the process.
Remember, meaningful change is a process and not an event.
The Snake Killer
