From Vacation to Work ' Think Before U Return
by Kevin
Wayne Johnson
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During my 23+ years in the workforce, nineteen with the federal government and four within the setting of corporate America, I have seen friends, peers, associates, and colleagues, at all levels within the organization, encounter multiple problems while at work. I, too, have faced them. In most instances, the affected person feels isolated, alone, trapped, with nowhere to turn. You are NOT alone.
Throughout the history of this country, there has been tremendous change in the workplace. America has shifted from an agricultural society (late 1600's to 1880), to an industrial society (1890 to 1980), to an information society (1985 to present). Keeping pace with these constant changes is a fulltime job in and of itself. Having a personal relationship with God, through Jesus Christ, is the assurance that we can overcome all of the pressure and change that is inherent to a typical day at work.
The subtitle of my second book's objective is to fully recognize and acknowledge our responsibility to Give God the Glory! Called is defined as 'my desire to do.' Light, phōs, derives from roots pha ' and phan ' in the original Greek language. As a follower of Christ, we are called 'sons of light' not merely because we have received a revelation from God, but because in the New Birth we have received the spiritual capacity for it. The word 'light' is referenced in The Holy Bible 264 times! Light is characterized as an element that:
Illuminates |
Shines |
Exposes Darkness |
Expels darkness |
Penetrates |
Causes one to see |
Extends brightness |
Radiates |
Projects |
Reveals |
The workplace is defined as a place where people are employed; the work setting in general.
As a long time employee of the federal government that spans across the three stages of one's work life, I have experienced the number one problem that all federal employees face: Bureaucracy. As a manager and director/executive within corporate America, I have experienced the number one problem that all corporate employees face: An inability to effectively communicate. I have survived both by often thinking about and reciting one of my favorite spiritual songs - 'When I think of the goodness of Jesus and all He's done for me, My soul cries out Halleluah, I thank God for saving me!'
God has equipped each of His children with gifts that are unique and distinguishable from everyone else on earth. His Word says, 'Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning (James 1:17).' These gifts are without repentance. Further, God assures us in His Word that:
He cannot change - 'For I am the Lord, I change not' (Malachi 3:6),
He cannot lie - 'That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie'' (Hebrews 6:18) and 'In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began (Titus 1:2),'
He is the same forever - 'Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever (Hebrews 13:8),'
He cannot speak empty words - 'So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall prosper in the things whereto I sent it (Isaiah 55:11),' and
He cannot break any promises - 'My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips
(Psalm 89:34).'
This book is systemically divided into three parts. Part One ' the formative years ' is intended to remind the mature worker of our humble beginnings in our respective careers. It will also encourage those entering the workforce to focus on the important things and to dismiss the unimportant. I still remember my first day at work on July 23, 1984, exactly one week after my 24th birthday, at the Defense Personnel Support Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I vividly remember my first supervisors ' Mr. Delma Hughes and Mrs. Catherine Ward - as I began my classroom and on-the-job training assignments in an old government warehouse equipped with third-hand furniture that was purchased at a General Services Administration auction. There was no air conditioning to cool the stifling Philadelphia heat that permeated the setting where I worked. I still send Mrs. Ward a Christmas card every year as a sign of appreciation for showing her light in the midst of less than ideal working conditions. As we enter the workforce and transition from growth to development to maturity, we look to peers, supervisors, and other mentors to give us advice on how to advance to the next level. Mr. Hughes and Mrs. Ward, thank you.
Part Two ' the journeyman years ' targets the group of workers who have learned and mastered the basic elements of the job and seek advancement into mid-level positions. During this phase, we tend to view our position as more than just a job, but a career. We find ourselves being asked to mentor others at the entry level while, at the same time, earnestly seek senior level officials to assist us with our next career move. Intelligence, tact, savvy, professionalism, integrity, balance, ethics, responsibility and accountability are the key elements to succeed at this level. It is during this stage that we transition from learning to leading. It takes more than just the inner drive to succeed, it is also reliance upon the people that God places in our paths to lead, guide and direct us. Those whose trust we have earned through excellence and demonstrated potential on various projects over an extended period of time. Those who will give us just enough room to make mistakes, yet protect us from their less passionate peers who salivate at the opportunity to openly humiliate their subordinates for the slightest of errors that have been committed. God placed wonderful people in my path in 1993 that were instrumental in launching my career development into the executive ranks. They too, are on my Christmas mailing list as a means to express my continued love for their protection and to keep them apprised of my family development and overall wellness. Formal leadership training reinforces the principle of application and self-motivation so that we will encourage others to reach their potential. Jesus taught His first disciples to 'launch out into the deep' (Luke 5:4) and trust in His Word. In doing so, the fisher men, soon to be His disciples, let down their nets and caught so many fish that their nets broke (Luke 5:6)!
Part Three ' the mentoring years ' encourages us to reinvest time and energy into people. People are the human capital of any organization and the most valuable commodity in the workplace. A brief look at the lives of such notable historians such as Evangelist Billy Graham and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. are inspirational stories of how two men, raised in the southern part of the United States, taught the world about the importance and awesome responsibility of raising the level of productivity of others. In the book of Genesis, chapter 1 and verse 28, God blesses man - male and female - after creating them in His image and after His likeness. God then gave four instructions and said unto them, 'Be fruitful, multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it.' Through the lives of Evangelist Graham and Dr. King, we have vivid examples on how to raise the level of productivity of others, as God instructs us.
Caution: 'For the love of money is the root of all evil'(1 Timothy 6:10).' Corporations thrive on their ability to make money and lots of it! In an era of antitrust, accounting irregularities, countless lawsuits, constant restructuring, employee layoffs, and outlandish bonuses to top executives, God can and will send a stern warning 'to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time' (1 Peter 5:6) and 'Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up (James 4:10).' In the book of Ephesians, Chapter 5, the Apostle Paul challenges and encourages the saints at Ephesus to walk as children of light. He begins in chapter 1, reminding them that our Heavenly Father has blessed them with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ (verse 3) and that He has chosen them before the foundation of the world that they should be holy and without blame before Him in love (verse 4). We have the same covenant right and God is speaking to us today. We are to be followers of God as dear children and walk in love, as Christ loved us (chapter 5, verses 1 and 2). Throughout chapter 5, Paul was inspired by God to write His instructions: 'For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light' (verse 8). 'And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them' (verse 11). 'But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. Wherefore he saith, AWAKE THOU THAT SLEEPEST, AND ARISE FROM THE DEAD, AND CHRIST SHALL GIVE THEE LIGHT' (verses 13 and 14).
I intend to encourage all readers of this book with the comfort of God's Word. As things around us change all of the time, God remains the same''I am the LORD thy God and I change not'(Malachi 3:6).' His Word shall stand forever (Isaiah 40:8). God loves you richly and desires the best for you. You are called to be light in the midst of darkness. Each of us have important responsibilities at work that transcends our daily tasks ' and chances are they are not listed on any of our job descriptions...
Source: Give God the Glory! Called to be Light in the Workplace (Introduction), ' 2003, by Kevin Wayne Johnson.