“Everybody has his own little package of journey.”
Last Saturday, we received a wonderful and timely encouragement from Pastor Tim. He invited all the Working Adults to help us understand why we are in the market place, and how we can keep ourselves aligned with God.
These are my key takeaways on that day:
Missional: All working adults have a purpose in life.
Original: You are who you are.
Relational: Friendship tends to shrink when a person starts to work.
Engaging: Sit down with someone, and engage. Talk about goals, life, etc. Discuss. Encourage.
All working adults have a purpose in life. There is something greater than earning money and climbing up the corporate ladder, which God has planned. And serving the God Whose thoughts are always higher than our thoughts, Whose ways are always higher than our ways, there is no comprehension to what He has planned for us. But His word in Jeremiah clearly says that His plan is to give us hope and to prosper us. So surely, there is nothing to worry about what His great purpose is for placing us where we are today.
We are who we are. But we still are to celebrate differences. Notice that friendship shrinks when a person starts to work. It’s funny how everyone was our friend when we were still in Kindergarten. All we fought about were toys and probably, food. But half an hour later, the bully who took our food was also the same kid whom we played see saw, tag or hide-and-seek with.
But when we start working, having our own car, we tend to choose whom to go out with. Or, rather because we are too busy and tired, we prefer to go straight home from work, and rest. We should still not forget that in our workplace, we could always find the opportunity to engage with someone, sit down with someone, and talk about goals, life, etc. It doesn't have to be so outlined. You see, the nature of a human being is the need to be heard. A few people have the gift of listening. Try to be the listener this time. Take the opportunity of developing a gift to listen. Take the opportunity to go in the cafeteria with a colleague, or a new junior assistant and…
Engage. Encourage.
There are 3 things that compose our internal compass as working adults:
1. Calling - this is what most of us forget. Most of us tend to take "career" rather than the calling. When we are given job offers we tend to ask the employer, "What's in it for me? How much am I getting? What benefits would I get?” etc. But there is actually more to that. It shouldn’t be just about the $, otherwise, we are just working for survival. There should be something more exciting than waiting for payday. There should be something far greater than survival. And that is our calling. God has called us to do something extra, other than the job we're supposed to carry as a manager, trainer, or junior assistant. This is what I always ask God to reveal to me. Why am I here? Why did He place me here? I haven’t fully realized my calling yet, but it is through hearing and hearing His Word that I find clarity.
2. Conviction - is something you want to do by hook or by crook. That no matter what happens, you will stand by it. Unfortunately, most of the time, we decide on things according to our convenience. For example, my conviction is: "I will attend Prayer Meeting every week." But when situations arise, like Boss wants me to work extra hours, I tend to set Prayer Meeting aside, because doing OT is more convenient for me, as I will receive extra $. The right attitude should actually be: "Sorry Boss, but I have Prayer Meeting tonight. If you may, I will just come back once Prayer Meeting is finished." or "I can do OT for you anytime of the week, except Thursdays, because I have Prayer Meetings on Thursdays."Put God first. Before everything else, put God first. What you can do is list down your top 5 convictions. See how God speaks to your heart. Find direction in Him, and you will never go wrong.
3. Compassion - What drives you internally? It is something that compels you to go to a certain direction because something has moved you. For example, Michelle is on a medical leave. And she happened to have shared her personal health problems with you, and her faith has deeply moved you. A simple text message of: "Hey Chelle! Know that I remember you today, sister, praying for your complete healing, and fast recovery." Any simple text message will surely brighten up a friend's day. And you will never know how far it will go. This will also boost a positive energy in you, because you will feel good that you have just cast a hug to someone by texting him/her. Calling, Conviction and Compassion are the 3 things that comprise our internal compass as working adults. Discern your Calling. Develop your Conviction. And have a heart of Compassion.
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