Working in and around a secular workplace

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posthuman

Senior Member
Jul 31, 2013
37,695
13,514
113
#21
My apologies I should have lead with that. I’m a Diesel Mechanic in the transportation industry.
wow that is an absolutely essential task!
'stuff don't work if it's broke' - which goes for trucks just as much as it does for people.

there is a semi-famous thing called 'the Christian work ethic' that seems to be largely forgotten these days, that is based largely on these verses:

whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men
(Colossians 3:23)​
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might
(Colossians 9:10)​
that ethic may be summed up like this: whoever you are, whatever vocation you find yourself in, work at it as though your boss is God, not some human. you are representing God in what you do for a living, so work at it as well as you possibly can, in terms of gaining skill with it, in terms of being efficient with it, in terms of being honest about it, in terms of putting in the effort.
be skillful at your job as though it is a task God has given you and you want to do it well for Him.
be efficient with your work as though God has given you the work and you don't wan to waste God's time.
readily confess if you don't know how to handle it or you've made a mistake, just like you would confess your need for help or your sins before God.
work at it with all your heart and mind just like you would if God Himself was your supervisor -- out of love for God, not terror of Him.

notice that Colossians says nothing about what kind of work it is. in the direct context Paul is talking to slaves - and he doesn't say anything about whether the slaves masters are good or evil -- he just says work as though God is your real master, so you do the best $#&%job you know how to do.


that's first and foremost. you have nothing to be ashamed of as a mechanic. that is a 100% honorable and needful profession. your job is essentially to figure out what's worn out or broken or wrong, and fix it.
that's the same job God has in our lives -- He renews our minds, He redeems our souls, He moves us to change our actions.
my life is a broken down truck motor: i got all kinds of parts needing total replacement and all kind of re-tuning and adjustment needing made

you see what i did there? i made an analogy between your work and spiritual things -- you should think that way; you should try to be the best you know how to be at your job ((which is a skilled job that needs a lot of specialized training and knowledge)), and you should try to understand what your doing in a way that glorifies God. you should look for Him in it -- it's not like your a liquor salesman or a plastic surgeon; you're a guy who fixes things that are broken and worn out: that's what God does in our lives =]


people look down on mechanics because they've had some experiences where they think they're being cheated -- don't cheat people.
people look down on mechanics because they think they've been lied to -- be honest with people.
people think that way often because they don't really understand how expensive parts are and how much time it takes to do something -- teach them, try to inform your customers so they don't get crazy ideas like it should only take an hour to remove a front axle carrier ((good grief how many safety-critical parts are attached to that??)) or the head gasket only costs $40 so why does it cost hundreds to replace it??


man you shouldn't be ashamed about what you do. it's something to be proud of, honestly. in fact if you worked at a manufacturer or a place that did racing or heavy customization or fabbing, the skills, knowledge & intuition you have are worth gold.
 

Lynx

Folksy yet erudite
Aug 13, 2014
27,110
9,210
113
#22
Aaron Jeoffrey:

Tommy Job:

Mitchel Jon:

Cheri Keaggy:

Jonny Lang:
 

Lynx

Folksy yet erudite
Aug 13, 2014
27,110
9,210
113
#23
Okay I'll stop until you tell me to keep going. I'm down to L.
 
T

tstumf

Guest
#25
wow that is an absolutely essential task!
'stuff don't work if it's broke' - which goes for trucks just as much as it does for people.

there is a semi-famous thing called 'the Christian work ethic' that seems to be largely forgotten these days, that is based largely on these verses:

whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men
(Colossians 3:23)​
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might
(Colossians 9:10)​
that ethic may be summed up like this: whoever you are, whatever vocation you find yourself in, work at it as though your boss is God, not some human. you are representing God in what you do for a living, so work at it as well as you possibly can, in terms of gaining skill with it, in terms of being efficient with it, in terms of being honest about it, in terms of putting in the effort.
be skillful at your job as though it is a task God has given you and you want to do it well for Him.
be efficient with your work as though God has given you the work and you don't wan to waste God's time.
readily confess if you don't know how to handle it or you've made a mistake, just like you would confess your need for help or your sins before God.
work at it with all your heart and mind just like you would if God Himself was your supervisor -- out of love for God, not terror of Him.

notice that Colossians says nothing about what kind of work it is. in the direct context Paul is talking to slaves - and he doesn't say anything about whether the slaves masters are good or evil -- he just says work as though God is your real master, so you do the best $#&%job you know how to do.


that's first and foremost. you have nothing to be ashamed of as a mechanic. that is a 100% honorable and needful profession. your job is essentially to figure out what's worn out or broken or wrong, and fix it.
that's the same job God has in our lives -- He renews our minds, He redeems our souls, He moves us to change our actions.
my life is a broken down truck motor: i got all kinds of parts needing total replacement and all kind of re-tuning and adjustment needing made

you see what i did there? i made an analogy between your work and spiritual things -- you should think that way; you should try to be the best you know how to be at your job ((which is a skilled job that needs a lot of specialized training and knowledge)), and you should try to understand what your doing in a way that glorifies God. you should look for Him in it -- it's not like your a liquor salesman or a plastic surgeon; you're a guy who fixes things that are broken and worn out: that's what God does in our lives =]


people look down on mechanics because they've had some experiences where they think they're being cheated -- don't cheat people.
people look down on mechanics because they think they've been lied to -- be honest with people.
people think that way often because they don't really understand how expensive parts are and how much time it takes to do something -- teach them, try to inform your customers so they don't get crazy ideas like it should only take an hour to remove a front axle carrier ((good grief how many safety-critical parts are attached to that??)) or the head gasket only costs $40 so why does it cost hundreds to replace it??


man you shouldn't be ashamed about what you do. it's something to be proud of, honestly. in fact if you worked at a manufacturer or a place that did racing or heavy customization or fabbing, the skills, knowledge & intuition you have are worth gold.
Thank you for your insight and perspective on this. I appreciate it. It absolutely Gives me some things to pray and meditate on.
 
Aug 20, 2021
1,863
310
83
#26
Im 10 years into a professional career in the USA. As I’m growing in the faith and in process of surrendering my life to him I’m struggling to find Gods purpose for me in this career and have lost any joy I had in the work. Things I probably used to not even flinch at or give a second thought to just make me cringe now the more I read and apply scripture to my life . It’s a career that has much of its value placed on essentially what I’m seeing as idolatry towards hard work above everything else. This overwork culture is praised by management as dedication to the job while leading a balanced life is looked down on as being slack or undedicated. Im seeing cutthroat business practices both in my workplace and the entire industry I work in. I will overhear casual conversations of others in public places like while shopping for groceries . These statements made by others related to my job title and generally the conversations are negative towards my profession. It’s pretty rare to hear a genuine person be thankful for what I do in my profession and makes for very awkward casual conversation at times because when you mention what you do for a living to an acquaintance they tend to repel away, I’d assume from bad experiences related to my profession. The crude and vulgar things that get passed off as jokes in the workplace and profession just don’t grab me anymore. Some of this stuff gets so severe it trips my anxiety to the point I dread work at times. Am I to believe this all is God trying to get my attention here? And for what could he be trying to get me to turn attention to? Or do I just pay this no attention and keep doing what I do and simply have faith in him gritting my teeth through to retirement or death whichever comes first. How do you as a Christian read and deal with this job outlook with the kingdom of God in mind. I want to find Gods purpose in my job but I’m struggling cause everywhere I turn I’m being bombarded with negatives and can’t find any kingdom minded positives or kingdom minded people to surround and support me in the career. I want to love and find joy in what I do and I want to believe I’m doing what I do for the kingdom of God but so far I’m failing to find it. Any suggestions?
The world will hate if u get extreme 4 god so don't expect 2 have a happy life if u follow god.But in the next life & forever
 
T

tstumf

Guest
#27
The world will hate if u get extreme 4 god so don't expect 2 have a happy life if u follow god.But in the next life & forever
yep, I’m learning that real time. The more I get into the faith the more distant some get from me…. But if I sacrifice some of these relationships and comfort in exchange for a closer walk with God I’m more than ok with that😀