May 24, 2010
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From TGIF to TGIM
From the Pulpit If you are a typical adult worker, you will spend more than 2,000 hours each year at work. While some people enjoy their work, others hate their jobs. Work can be a source of enormous stress in our lives. The Conference Board, an organization made up of global business leaders, recently released its findings about job satisfaction in the United States. Fewer than half (45 percent) of American workers are satisfied with their jobs. Even though one in 10 Americans are out of a job, those who are employed are increasingly dissatisfied. As you reflect on your present job, would you say your attitude is TGIF, “Thank God it's Friday?” Here's how to move from TGIF to TGIM, “Thank God it's Monday.” First, understand how God views work. God wills that people work. God created the first human, placed him in the Garden of Eden, and said, “You are to work this garden and take care of it” (see Genesis 1:15). God calls all people to work. From God's perspective all work is honorable so long as that work is ethical, legal, and moral. In God's sight, cleaning a hotel room is just as honorable a job as emergency room nursing. Second, understand that, at times, everybody's job stinks. I work as an ordained minister. Did you know that in some of the latest job satisfaction surveys, ministerial work has the highest rate of satisfaction? Yet I can tell you that some days my work isn't all that satisfying. Every job has its downside. Some days work is fun and enjoyable, but on other days work is drudgery. Third, bring a great attitude to work with you each day. Whatever your job, work at it with all your heart. I can hear someone say, “You don't know the boss I have. You don't know the conditions I work in.” I'll give you two pieces of helpful advice. One, if you can find a better job, take it. Two, if you can't find a better job, stop complaining and be thankful for the job you do have. Fourth, do what you were hired to do. In other words, work hard. This is what previous generations called a work ethic. (Would you agree with me that many Americans have lost their work ethic?) The Bible gives an interesting perspective on our work ethic in Colossians 3:22. The King James Version reads, “Work not with eyeservice nor as men pleasers.” The idea is working hard as long as the boss has his or her eye on you, but as soon as the boss leaves, you slack off. That's wrong. The fifth suggestion is for bosses, supervisors, managers, and employers. Treat employees fairly, with respect, and with dignity. A worker recently told me how his company took away a promised Friday holiday at the last minute, and without good reason. Most of the workers at that company had already made family plans. Do you think those workers were happy campers? Supervisor, manager, your role isn't just to give people a job, but to give them what any human being deserves: dignity and respect. We would have a lot fewer grumbling employees if companies and work places treated workers fairly and justly. We often refer to this way of responding to people as the Golden Rule. Jesus said, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you” (Matthew 7:12). Gary Hardin is pastor of Enon Grove Baptist Church in Cedar Bluff. He and his wife, Linda, live in Centre. Comments can be sent to: garyhardin@tds.net. |