Ways to be a witness in your workplace

How well do you reflect Christ in your workplace?

Three Scripture passages provide us with some guidance.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Colossians 3:23-24).

“‘I have the right to do anything,’ you say—but not everything is beneficial. ‘I have the right to do anything’—but not everything is constructive” (1 Corinthians 10:23).

“For it is God who works in you to will and act to fulfill his good purpose. Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, ‘children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation’” (Philippians 2:13-15).

Living out our faith at work

Here are some ways to live out your faith in various career fields.

• As visionaries—such as entrepreneurs, boards of directors, executive directors and other leaders—we lead with skill, wisdom and a mentoring attitude to raise more people like ourselves, instead of being prideful and lording over those we lead.

• As medical practitioners—whether doctors, nurses or therapists—we will love our patients so much that we will work with empathy, instead of anger and irritability.

• As government and public officials—including lawyers and teachers—we will make decisions and choices that will make life better for the people we serve, instead of corrupt or selfish decisions to benefit only ourselves and our families.

• As hourly workers—such as warehouse workers, maids, janitors and mechanics—we will work our hours justly and do the best of our assigned tasks, instead of lying or having a lackadaisical attitude.

• As administrative employees—such as in the corporate or financial sectors, customer service and human resources—we will be accurate and just in our duties, instead of twisting figures and cutting corners.

• As agricultural workers—farmers, ranchers—we will grow our crops and animals purely and safely, as though Christ himself will eat our products, instead of using harmful and even toxic means of cultivation.

• As scientists—engineers and researchers—we will give God the glory for what we discover in our universe, instead of giving all credit to our knowledge.

• As stay-at-home moms, we will enjoy every single moment of our sacrifice and love for our families, instead of harboring contempt and sometimes wondering if it was all worth the sacrifice.

• As transportation workers—pilots, flight attendants, drivers—we will treat each customer as a possible “angel,” because we never know just who we are carrying, instead of letting the repetitive, tiresome nature of our jobs dull us to the people we serve.

• As performers, entertainers and media figures, we will embody our roles from our heart and with intentionality, instead of doing so grudgingly, unwillingly and manipulatively.

Having the attitude of Christ

We may not always have the freedom to profess our Christianity. For example, while working for a company in Dallas a few years ago, I was called into the office of the human resources manager after giving a coworker a Bible. I nearly lost my job.

When we are not free to verbally profess Christ, we still are free in our Christian actions and attitudes.

Living out our Christian faith in practical ways can become our No. 1 tool of evangelism. It can cause people to see our good works and not only give glory to God, but also desire to know the God we know (Mathew 5:16). They can point people to the reason for the hope we have (1 Peter 3:15).

We should live to reflect Christ, no matter our career paths, political affiliations, or race or ethnicity. In the words of Jim Denison, “Let’s love God so much that we love our neighbor so much that our neighbor chooses to love our Lord.”

How will you reflect Christ in your career today?

Hannarich Asiedu is the author of the upcoming book Decoding the In-Law Code. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English and French from the University of Ghana and is certified in the science of well-being. She is a member of the Victory Assembly of God Church in Carrollton, Texas. The views expressed are those solely of the author.