As we saw in the previous blog, one of the big challenges we face in the workplace is trying to maintain our integrity in all that we do, say and think. From my experience the temptations are all around us in the workplace and quite often we don’t even realise it.
Issues or areas that damage our integrity at work can include the following: How do we treat other co-workers, especially those we manage? Do we treat them the way we would like to be treated? Are we open and honest in all that we do? Do we take few things from the workplace, even something as trivial as some paper? Do our actions always match up to our words? Do we always do what we say we will do? Do we lust after the young girl in the office, joking about her looks with fellow male colleagues? Do we judge anyone female who visits our workplace first and foremost by her looks?
The list could go on and on and if we are all honest, we all fall down at least one of those points I have raised on numerous occasions. Another big challenge I found is that as Christians we are often expected by non-Christians to have higher levels of integrity than those around us. When, not if, we slip up the judgemental comments come flying in thick and fast.
So what can we do to maintain our integrity not only in the workplace, but also in all areas of life? From my experience no self-help book or the latest motivational speaker could do it, the only resource you need is the Word of God A.K.A The Bible. Once your start reading, understanding and applying the Bible to your life then your character starts to develop and with that character development comes integrity.
God is much more interested in your character than he is in your career. But God does use your work and your workplace to develop your character. Your workplace is in some ways a life course in character development.
Do you have a boss who drives you crazy or puts you under pressure to lie? Think about this, God can use a boss who tests your patience, and he can use a workplace that you’re unhappy in to develop and grow your character. He plants seeds of love, joy, peace, and patience in your heart, and then he fertilizes those seeds while you work.
You may be at work and wonder, “How come this is going on? Why is this such a difficult place to work? Why do these people not like me? Why can’t I be happier at my workplace?” You’re really just asking the same question that Solomon asked: What’s there to show for a lifetime of work, a lifetime of working your fingers to the bone? Ecclesiastes 1:3 (The Message)
The answer to Solomon’s and many of our questions regarding the workplace is character. You’re not going to take your career with you to Heaven, but you are going to take your character. And while you are here on Earth, God is developing your character and testing your faithfulness. Will you be faithful to do the right thing, even when you don’t feel like doing the right thing?
Stephen McGuire
Image Credit: Alejandro Escamilla
