Tag: Work

How Being a Kingdom Citizen Makes You a Better Employee

In my law practice, I consult with people about their jobs, usually at a point when they are unhappy about their jobs. I know from studies I’ve seen that their situation is not unique. Some studies have shown that 2/3 of all Americans are unhappy with their jobs. Maybe you feel the same way.

Maybe you don’t like your supervisor or don’t think the company appreciates you.  You may not think you are paid enough or that your last performance review was as good as your performance warranted.  As a result, you may not look forward to going to work, and you may have trouble getting motivated to do your best.

We live in a fallen world and bad supervisors, greedy employers and discriminatory employment decisions exist in abundance. Your chances of avoiding them completely during your career are slim, which probably accounts for the 2/3 statistic. But a citizen of the kingdom of God can avoid becoming a statistic. The key is understanding for whom, as a Christian, you work.

The Apostle Paul said, “Whatever you do, do your work with all your heart, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance.” (Colossians 3:23-24).  In other words, as a Christian you work for King Jesus and you should perform your job as if He was your boss (because He is).

If you are doing your work primarily to please men (your supervisor, your company or others), you will inevitably be disappointed with their response. They will rarely appreciate you as much as you think you deserve and will often treat you in ways in which you do not deserve.

If, however, you are working primarily to please the Lord and are looking to Him for your reward, there are at least four good things that can happen.

1. Your work will be more excellent.  After all, how can you be more motivated than when you are trying to impress Jesus?

2. You will work harder. You know the Lord sees all things, and if you are looking to Him for your reward, you will be motivated to give a better effort because you know the one you are trying to please sees all your effort.

3.  You will not be a man-pleaser.  “Man-pleaser” is the theological term for “brown-noser”, and nobody likes a brown-noser. The best way to avoid being a man-pleaser is to focus on pleasing the Lord instead.

4.  Your peers and supervisors will respect you. They will respect you because they will see the integrity of your work and that it is not motivated by what you think you can get from them or the company.

I challenge you to give this new “workview” a test drive; you might find it very liberating.  GS

Movie Review: Up In The Air (2009)

Up In The Air is an entertaining movie with a worthy message. Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) fires people for a living. He works for a company contracted by businesses who need to fire employees but don’t want to deal with the emotional mess that accompanies it.

Bingham loves his job, which allows him to travel from city to city enjoying the “simulated hospitality” offered by airlines, hotels and rental car companies to their loyal repeat customers. Bingham’s loyalty is to impersonal, non-human corporations. His idea of a relationship is a flight attendant greeting him by name when he boards his flight. His life is “up in the air” in that he is not connected relationally to others. Bingham’s job title is as antiseptic as his life: “Career Transition Consultant.” Even in the midst of terminating others, Bingham’s simulated sympathy is delivered dead pan. The lack of community, relationship and emotional attachments insulate Bingham from the pain of really living.

But Bingham loves his life, or so he thinks, until he falls for Alex (Vera Farmiga) and decides to join the human race, leading to an unexpected twist and ending, which I won’t spoil for you here. It’s to Clooney’s credit his charm keeps the movie light enough to be entertaining while it delivers its very serious message.

That message? Community matters. People matter. There is more to life than racking up frequent flyer miles and drinking martinis in the club lounge at the airport. A career is not a substitute for relationships and community. Hollywood got this one right. I recommend it. Rated R (Language and Some Sexual Content). GS

How Your Job is Integral to the Kingdom

“I just wish I didn’t have to work so much so I could have more time for ministry.” It’s a noble thought, but for most people, i.e., those not called into the full-time ministry, it is misguided. If you are not called to the full-time ministry you need to understand how your job is integral to the kingdom of God.

Your job is not justified merely by how many people you reach for Jesus. Your job is integral to the kingdom of God for a more fundamental but perhaps less obvious reason than that.

The kingdom of God, like most earthly kingdoms, is concerned about two things: 1) managing territory already under its jurisdiction; and 2) expanding its borders. In discussing the kingdom of God it’s easy to skip over the first and focus only on the second. In fact, I suspect most Christians have never considered the importance of managing earthly territory for the kingdom of God. We tend to justify everything in light of heaven. Continue reading “How Your Job is Integral to the Kingdom”