Observations from the Workplace

So I’ve now completed my first month in a career that could spend 40 years; I’ve only lived 22 years up to this point. I’ve been whisked away to the wonderful land of Detroit—which has recently filed for bankruptcy…wasn’t me!—to take part in a month long business leadership training program. To put it simply, you can say I’ve become business minded.

Last time I blogged, I was living off the highs of becoming the servant of my best friend (and I still am). But now, life has been all business all the time minus the occasional weekend to recuperate from the 12 hours a day I’ve been putting in. Fortunately, my relationship with Jesus hasn’t changed; thank God for that. Moreover, I’ve gotten a nice little taste of the ins-and-outs of the corporate world and how it can affect one’s identity.

From Majority to Minority
At college, I kept myself in a comfortable little community. It was quite lovely. In my marriage, Rachel and I might as well be the same person, apart from her good looks and my lack of emotions. But here in an international business leadership boot camp, I have become a resounding minority. I am currently surrounded by a host of incredibly interesting and uniquely diverse people. Because of my interactions with other international coworkers, I now think in different accents from British to Indian to Hungarian. I am one of two or three others who don’t regularly drink alcohol. I am one of the only people who are married, leaving the conversation going a little like this: “How old are you? 22! Why’d you marry so young?!” The ratio of people around me that share the same convictions as me about faith, wisdom, and morality has inverted. Yet, surprisingly, I love it more than I would have thought. Perhaps it’s the fact that everyone I talk to has an interesting story to tell or perhaps it’s the fact that a light shines brighter darker places. I’m not sure. But I do know that throwing yourself out of a monotonous sea of heartfelt believers into a crashing whirlpool of diversity is quite the experience.

That said, I truly have to keep myself as close to Jesus as I possibly can because as the cultural currents grow stronger, I am at risk of losing my solid foundation. I’ve found myself consistently asking God to search my heart and to keep me close. My need for grace increases daily. Yet, I’ve found it’s not until that you find yourself in complete contrast with those around you that you find what you truly believe. God kept me in the incubator that is college to finally release me here confident and affirmed in Christ.

The Business Shroud
When you enter into the workplace, there isn’t a sign that says you can’t talk about faith, but it sure feels like there is. There aren’t any rules against praying at the workplace, but it sure feels like there is. There wasn’t any anti-evangelism agreement I had to sign, but it sure feels like there was. Something happens when you walk in the door of a multi-national conglomerate consisting of 300,000 employees across the world (or any secular workplace for that matter). It’s as if what happens at work stays at work, and what happens at home stays at home. It’s as if life is trying to drive a wedge between who I am from 8 AM-5PM everyday and who I am when I walk in the door to see my beautiful bride after a long day of work. It’s a troubling force of nature. Yet, my Father has taught me something quite fundamental to remaining a son of God: I don’t have to worry about being fruitful, just about being a good tree. When I interact with my coworkers, my insides just burn for them to know truth and grace! But Satan takes that ambition and turns it into guilt by relegating my pursuit of Christ to a recruiting charade. Yet, Jesus quietly implores me to simply bury my roots deep into him and draw from the living waters. Time and time again He has told me “You don’t have to ask me to use you. If you remain close to me, I WILL use you.” Ahhh, the peace of Christ is so delightful.

Coworker, Not Friends
A coworker is an interesting paradox: I spend about the same time every day with my coworkers as I do my wife, yet more often than not, coworkers remain coworkers and not friends. It’s like everyone holds each other at arm’s length, not allowing anyone to see who they truly are. It’s like we are all trying to be so cordial that no one can see any weakness or humanity in us. Now that proclamation left to itself, is an exaggeration. I enjoy each and every one of my coworkers and have a great time working with all of them. In fact, I find myself incredibly blessed to work in the place that I do. Yet, there is this peculiar stigma that prevents me from really getting to know the heart and soul of most the people that I spend my time with in the workplace. In college, you become best friends with someone if you so happen to ride in the same elevator. In the workplace, people are reduced down to business contacts and conversations reduced to “networking”. It becomes a lot harder to speak truth and love into someone with a metaphorical business firewall in place. I’ve found that evangelism in the workplace is an endurance game. You almost have to break through the business shroud into deep friendship with someone before any spiritual exchange can happen. Now, I’m just a workplace newbie, so perhaps a decade down the road I will have different theory and strategy to all this. But as for now, I find this interesting dance that we call business holds some pretty powerful social stigmas that one has to overcome if they are to have any chance at being a light in the workplace. Fortunately, Jesus has me up to the challenge.

A Bright Future
With a library of books written by Christian CEO’s and workplace saints, and an incredible wife at home to spurn me on, I am confident that I am going to find a significantly sweet spot in the workplace. When someone asks me what my career goals are, I struggle to give them the answer they are looking for. I don’t care whether I become CEO or self-employed. All I know is that I have the most powerful being in the universe pulling the strings. May whatever pleases Him happen! So far I am pretty good at this IT Leader thing, so for now, I am going to work every day for Jesus alone and see where that gets me. I have no doubt that I’ll end up exactly where I need to be. Like I said, I’ve only been at this thing for a little over a month now, but with Christ in control, my marching orders are pretty simple: Love mercy, act justly, and walk humbly with my King.