Witness in the Workplace

The scriptures say that we are to always be ready to give an answer for what we believe.  Well, I had just such an opportunity the other day when a young co-worker, whom I believe God is wooing to Himself, asked me how she should feel and/or respond when she sees a person who is mean and callous of heart, yet prospering:  always having money, no signs of struggle, living a carefree life.  She was comparing this individual to herself, whom when she had plenty was always willing to lend to those less fortunate.  And yet, here she is having to struggle to make ends meet and the person who has plenty is so mean and stingy and unwilling to share or to help anyone else. 

Well, I knew that this was a moment for God to shine.  The Holy Spirit immediately brought to my mind Psalm 37:1-19:

    Of David.
 ¹ Do not fret because of those who are evil
   or be envious of those who do wrong;
² for like the grass they will soon wither,
   like green plants they will soon die away.
 ³ Trust in the LORD and do good;
   dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
⁴ Take delight in the LORD,
   and he will give you the desires of your heart.
 ⁵ Commit your way to the LORD;
   trust in him and he will do this:
⁶ He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
   your vindication like the noonday sun.
 ⁷ Be still before the LORD
   and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
   when they carry out their wicked schemes.
 ⁸ Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
   do not fret—it leads only to evil.
⁹ For those who are evil will be destroyed,
   but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.
 ¹⁰ A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
   though you look for them, they will not be found.
¹¹ But the meek will inherit the land
   and enjoy peace and prosperity.
 ¹² The wicked plot against the righteous
   and gnash their teeth at them;
¹³ but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
   for he knows their day is coming.
 ¹⁴ The wicked draw the sword
   and bend the bow
to bring down the poor and needy,
   to slay those whose ways are upright.
¹⁵ But their swords will pierce their own hearts,
   and their bows will be broken.
 ¹⁶ Better the little that the righteous have
   than the wealth of many wicked;
¹⁷ for the power of the wicked will be broken,
   but the LORD upholds the righteous.
 ¹⁸ The blameless spend their days under the LORD’s care,
   and their inheritance will endure forever.
¹⁹ In times of disaster they will not wither;
   in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.

After sharing this passage of scripture, the Lord gave me a practical illustration:  She is a young, single mother of 2 and I proposed that one of her daughters was behaving well, while the other was misbehaving.  The well behaved child might feel that her mother should punish her sister in one manner, while she (the mother) may choose another form of discipline.  Then I asked, "Who determines whether to discipline the child and who decides what that discipline will be?"  Her answer was, of course, "Me."  I continued, "In the same way your Heavenly Father is the one who determines who to discipline and what discipline is appropriate and when to administer it.  In this passage, God is saying, look I got this; the wicked will get theirs.  Our job is to "fret not."  We can spend so much time looking at someone else's flaws, that we miss what God wants to do in our own lives.  I went on to share some Godly wisdom with her about the danger of comparing ourselves to others, judging others and how important it is to keep our eyes on Jesus, the author and developer of our faith. 

I wrote the scripture down on a piece of paper and encouraged her to read it everytime she felt discouraged and frustrated or had resentful or judgmental thoughts.  I closed with encouraging her with Paul's words:  "This one thing I do:  forgetting those things which are behind, and pressing on towards the mark of the high calling in Christ Jesus." 
Phil. 3:13-14

Perhaps God wants to use you in your workplace.  Be open and available, always ready to give an answer for what you believe.  When you do, you prepare the way of the Lord in someone's life. 

Be a Way Maker in your workplace today!