The silence of an empty heart.
The silence of an unkind word.
The silence of a lonely friend.
The silence of a broken world.
The whisper of a gentle touch.
The whisper of a caring smile.
The whisper of a mother’s love.
The whisper of the extra mile.
The murmur of encouragement.
The murmur of approval.
The murmur of a truth once known.
The murmur of a love for all.
The shout of joyful songs of praise.
The shout of battles won.
The shout of blissful happiness.
The shout of struggles overcome.
The silence of pure calm and rest.
The silence in a heart at ease.
The silence between two loving minds
The silence from a sense of peace.
Tuesday 18 August 2009
Saturday 11 April 2009
Women in the workplace: Being a witness, making disciples
Last time we met, we talked about having enough time to balance busy lives. Today, we’ll think about opportunities at work.
Time is sufficient; but opportunities are lost
If we give ourselves enough time, we can be open to the challenges that God has for us. I don’t know about you, but I find it horrifyingly easy to divide myself into several different people depending on where I am, and often, they don’t resemble each other.
Let me give you an example. At church, I can be a listening ear, a smiling face, an enthusiastic worshipper. At home, when I’m tired at the end of the day, my ears can be far from listening and my mouth far too ready to talk. At other times, my church and home personalities overlap as I am equally ready to pray in either situation – but not at work, even when scenarios were uncannily similar. I’ll pray for a Christian friend or family member who is struggling with a difficult relationship; I won’t, usually, for a colleague – although, when I have occasionally done so, it has been well received.
There are people we know who stay the same wherever they are. How can we do that too?
Here were some suggestions for bringing your church or home person to work.
Be yourself Remember that you are the only Bible your work colleagues might ever read. No pressure, then! Don’t pretend to be someone you are not – and that includes not being a different person at work than at church. You are a Christian – act like one! And no, I don’t mean trying to be ‘good’, or ‘holy’. It is more than that. If, talking to a colleague, they share something that, if a Christian friend said the same, you might say that you would pray about it; or, if you would offer to do something for someone at church, why hold back in a similar situation just because you are at work?
Give your workmates a gift of time. Your colleague interrupts with a request. If the roles were reversed, what response would you be looking for? This doesn’t necessarily mean that you should drop what you are doing: an acknowledgement, a ‘can you give me 5 minutes and then I’ll be with you?’ will do just as well – just make sure it really is 5 minutes, not half an hour!
Treat your colleagues as you want to be treated. We all appreciate a friendly interest. Show them you care and appreciate them.
Make the most of opportunities. If a colleague has shared something personal, then ask after them at a later date. A friendly ‘how was your weekend?’ can open up conversations in unexpected ways.
Invite your colleagues home. Coffee, tea, lunch, dinner… whatever seems appropriate and is easy for you. Showing hospitality is powerful.
Take risks. Those who don’t ask don’t get. This applies to building relationships, offering prayer, sharing words of encouragement. It’s scary – but not as scary as the thought that Jesus will one day ask you why you didn’t share your treasure with others!
Remember who you are. A child of God. Keep in touch with your heavenly father by taking a few minutes to read some words from the Bible in your lunch break. Refocusing will help close the gap. Pray on your way to work; at work; before a meeting; at the end of the day. It can be hard to remember to do this when you are immersed in work, so give yourself reminders: set the alarm on your phone for a certain time; note a landmark on your way to work, associating it with a particular person or situation you are praying for; have a note – unobtrusively! - on a Post-it on your desk. Set your desktop background or screensaver with an inspirational picture or short message.
Time is sufficient; but opportunities are lost
If we give ourselves enough time, we can be open to the challenges that God has for us. I don’t know about you, but I find it horrifyingly easy to divide myself into several different people depending on where I am, and often, they don’t resemble each other.
Let me give you an example. At church, I can be a listening ear, a smiling face, an enthusiastic worshipper. At home, when I’m tired at the end of the day, my ears can be far from listening and my mouth far too ready to talk. At other times, my church and home personalities overlap as I am equally ready to pray in either situation – but not at work, even when scenarios were uncannily similar. I’ll pray for a Christian friend or family member who is struggling with a difficult relationship; I won’t, usually, for a colleague – although, when I have occasionally done so, it has been well received.
There are people we know who stay the same wherever they are. How can we do that too?
Here were some suggestions for bringing your church or home person to work.
Be yourself Remember that you are the only Bible your work colleagues might ever read. No pressure, then! Don’t pretend to be someone you are not – and that includes not being a different person at work than at church. You are a Christian – act like one! And no, I don’t mean trying to be ‘good’, or ‘holy’. It is more than that. If, talking to a colleague, they share something that, if a Christian friend said the same, you might say that you would pray about it; or, if you would offer to do something for someone at church, why hold back in a similar situation just because you are at work?
Give your workmates a gift of time. Your colleague interrupts with a request. If the roles were reversed, what response would you be looking for? This doesn’t necessarily mean that you should drop what you are doing: an acknowledgement, a ‘can you give me 5 minutes and then I’ll be with you?’ will do just as well – just make sure it really is 5 minutes, not half an hour!
Treat your colleagues as you want to be treated. We all appreciate a friendly interest. Show them you care and appreciate them.
Make the most of opportunities. If a colleague has shared something personal, then ask after them at a later date. A friendly ‘how was your weekend?’ can open up conversations in unexpected ways.
Invite your colleagues home. Coffee, tea, lunch, dinner… whatever seems appropriate and is easy for you. Showing hospitality is powerful.
Take risks. Those who don’t ask don’t get. This applies to building relationships, offering prayer, sharing words of encouragement. It’s scary – but not as scary as the thought that Jesus will one day ask you why you didn’t share your treasure with others!
Remember who you are. A child of God. Keep in touch with your heavenly father by taking a few minutes to read some words from the Bible in your lunch break. Refocusing will help close the gap. Pray on your way to work; at work; before a meeting; at the end of the day. It can be hard to remember to do this when you are immersed in work, so give yourself reminders: set the alarm on your phone for a certain time; note a landmark on your way to work, associating it with a particular person or situation you are praying for; have a note – unobtrusively! - on a Post-it on your desk. Set your desktop background or screensaver with an inspirational picture or short message.
Sunday 1 March 2009
Giants from the Past
A short walk through the town and school of Rugby; so many literary associations.
My travels did not take me very far. Just a short walk to school, a dive back of a hundred years or more. Two hundred yards from home took me to my first remembered pain: the War Memorial, standing proud for fourscore years and ten, now accuses my neglect of Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen whose words have seared my soul.
I hurried on; that insignificant Edwardian house I passed now bears a bright blue plaque: I wish it were a happier memory. How brief, how rich in poetry was the life of Rupert Brooke. Another sensitive, senseless victim of a horrid war. Did he, I wonder, realise how futile his death was? We were robbed of much delight. My treasured volume of his collected poems endured moves between continents.
Then, turning a corner, I passed by The Close. The hallowed grass of Rugby School trodden upon by many authors, not least Thomas Hughes of Tom Brown’s Schooldays fame. Matthew Arnold, whose poems I have always loved; Arthur Ransome, whose nephew was a great friend of my father’s:I treasure his books still; Salman Rushdie; D Watkins-Pitchford – ‘BB’- who enchanted me with stories of the miniature Little Grey Men and their adventures on the tiny stream I fished for minnows; Anthony Horowitz, teacher’s friend – who else excites young boys as much as Alex Rider Secret Agent?
Rushdie I did not know; Horowitz was my age; yet the others were as much a part of my growing up in Rugby as my own family. As I grew older, the walk to school became a walk to the hospital; a dog walk; a short cut to town: yet, whatever my purpose or my destination, the words still whispered to me from the buildings I passed. I remember them still.
My travels did not take me very far. Just a short walk to school, a dive back of a hundred years or more. Two hundred yards from home took me to my first remembered pain: the War Memorial, standing proud for fourscore years and ten, now accuses my neglect of Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen whose words have seared my soul.
I hurried on; that insignificant Edwardian house I passed now bears a bright blue plaque: I wish it were a happier memory. How brief, how rich in poetry was the life of Rupert Brooke. Another sensitive, senseless victim of a horrid war. Did he, I wonder, realise how futile his death was? We were robbed of much delight. My treasured volume of his collected poems endured moves between continents.
Then, turning a corner, I passed by The Close. The hallowed grass of Rugby School trodden upon by many authors, not least Thomas Hughes of Tom Brown’s Schooldays fame. Matthew Arnold, whose poems I have always loved; Arthur Ransome, whose nephew was a great friend of my father’s:I treasure his books still; Salman Rushdie; D Watkins-Pitchford – ‘BB’- who enchanted me with stories of the miniature Little Grey Men and their adventures on the tiny stream I fished for minnows; Anthony Horowitz, teacher’s friend – who else excites young boys as much as Alex Rider Secret Agent?
Rushdie I did not know; Horowitz was my age; yet the others were as much a part of my growing up in Rugby as my own family. As I grew older, the walk to school became a walk to the hospital; a dog walk; a short cut to town: yet, whatever my purpose or my destination, the words still whispered to me from the buildings I passed. I remember them still.
From Out of Africa
Karen Blixen's evocative book inspired memories of a walk back into her past.
“I had a farm in Africa…” Karen Blixen’s house still stands, gazing out towards the grey green Ngong Hills. Even in her day there were cars, as now, yet I walk with Kenyans who have no other means. I trudge through the suburb, once a coffee plantation, now lined with gracious mansions and high-walled gardens. Then there were red-earth dusty tracks, no gates, no barriers; now, tarmac, steel gates, electric fences.
The house reeks with memories: of a simpler lifestyle horribly complicated by relationships, by disease, by death. How did she live with the recollection of a husband who deliberately infected her with syphilis; a lover who betrayed with other women and, ultimately, with death? I wander from room to empty room, footsteps echoing hollowly on the bare wooden floors. Sadness and melancholy, unhappiness and gloom amidst the vibrancy of Africa.
I have accompanied Karen on many of her journeys. Just as she flew over the dusty landscape with Denys Finch-Hatton, so have I; just as she struggled into the centre of Nairobi in an unreliable car, so have I; just as she walked among the coffee bushes, picking the ripe berries, so have I. Just as she bore the life of Africa in her body, so do I. Her memories were so vivid that she recreated her fascination from distant Denmark. Seas, continents and loneliness could not rob her of her love.
The memories are bitter-sweet, yet the joy, the abundant life, the anticipation and the hope that is Africa journeys on.
“I had a farm in Africa…” Karen Blixen’s house still stands, gazing out towards the grey green Ngong Hills. Even in her day there were cars, as now, yet I walk with Kenyans who have no other means. I trudge through the suburb, once a coffee plantation, now lined with gracious mansions and high-walled gardens. Then there were red-earth dusty tracks, no gates, no barriers; now, tarmac, steel gates, electric fences.
The house reeks with memories: of a simpler lifestyle horribly complicated by relationships, by disease, by death. How did she live with the recollection of a husband who deliberately infected her with syphilis; a lover who betrayed with other women and, ultimately, with death? I wander from room to empty room, footsteps echoing hollowly on the bare wooden floors. Sadness and melancholy, unhappiness and gloom amidst the vibrancy of Africa.
I have accompanied Karen on many of her journeys. Just as she flew over the dusty landscape with Denys Finch-Hatton, so have I; just as she struggled into the centre of Nairobi in an unreliable car, so have I; just as she walked among the coffee bushes, picking the ripe berries, so have I. Just as she bore the life of Africa in her body, so do I. Her memories were so vivid that she recreated her fascination from distant Denmark. Seas, continents and loneliness could not rob her of her love.
The memories are bitter-sweet, yet the joy, the abundant life, the anticipation and the hope that is Africa journeys on.
The Rock
I discover Victor Hugo's inspired life in Guernsey.with a visit to this tiny island in the English Channel. Known affectionately still as 'The Rock', it was a refuge for the great writer during Napoleon's reign.
I arrive from the sea. As the ferry eases down the Little Russell between Guernsey and Herm, the town of St Peter Port opens up to view. It has changed little since Victor Hugo landed here 150 years ago: despite some modern additions, pastel coloured buildings still jostle together in narrow cobbled streets. Boats fill the harbour; the fish market sells fish; Castle Cornet stands sentinel.
A short climb up a quiet street devoid of traffic leads to Hauteville House, Victor Hugo’s sanctuary for 15 years. A monument to his art, its walls and ceilings are covered with carpets; furniture of dark, intricately carved wood is integral with the building. One ceiling is lined with ceramics; another room with tiles. The darkroom is hidden in a cupboard. The winter garden is a conservatory with inspirational views of the islands. A glass eyrie at the top is where this literary giant wrote, standing at a writing desk.
Fiercely opposed to Napoleon, Victor Hugo sought refuge in Guernsey after he had to flee France. The island inspired him: its harsh, rugged cliffs combined with its gentle inland scenery, the hidden coves, a profusion of plant life growing abundantly in a mild climate. It was here that he wrote several of his most famous works: notably ‘Les Miserables’ and the work he devoted to the people of Guernsey, ‘The Toilers of the Sea’: “I dedicate this book to the rock of hospitality, to this corner of old Norman land where resides the noble little people of the sea, to the Island of Guernsey, severe and yet gentle…”.
Walking the streets, discovering the beaches mirrored in his paintings, surrounded by descendants of those he knew, it is easy to follow in the footsteps of this great man. He seems to be here still.
I arrive from the sea. As the ferry eases down the Little Russell between Guernsey and Herm, the town of St Peter Port opens up to view. It has changed little since Victor Hugo landed here 150 years ago: despite some modern additions, pastel coloured buildings still jostle together in narrow cobbled streets. Boats fill the harbour; the fish market sells fish; Castle Cornet stands sentinel.
A short climb up a quiet street devoid of traffic leads to Hauteville House, Victor Hugo’s sanctuary for 15 years. A monument to his art, its walls and ceilings are covered with carpets; furniture of dark, intricately carved wood is integral with the building. One ceiling is lined with ceramics; another room with tiles. The darkroom is hidden in a cupboard. The winter garden is a conservatory with inspirational views of the islands. A glass eyrie at the top is where this literary giant wrote, standing at a writing desk.
Fiercely opposed to Napoleon, Victor Hugo sought refuge in Guernsey after he had to flee France. The island inspired him: its harsh, rugged cliffs combined with its gentle inland scenery, the hidden coves, a profusion of plant life growing abundantly in a mild climate. It was here that he wrote several of his most famous works: notably ‘Les Miserables’ and the work he devoted to the people of Guernsey, ‘The Toilers of the Sea’: “I dedicate this book to the rock of hospitality, to this corner of old Norman land where resides the noble little people of the sea, to the Island of Guernsey, severe and yet gentle…”.
Walking the streets, discovering the beaches mirrored in his paintings, surrounded by descendants of those he knew, it is easy to follow in the footsteps of this great man. He seems to be here still.
Saturday 24 January 2009
TES creativity competition
These were some of the ideas I had for the TES creative suggestions competition a few years ago: I won an Arvon writing course, great fun!
Angela Pollard Support and maths teacher Crescent school, Rugby
My ideal targets for every child would be:
* Learn to run a small shop; play with sand and water; go on a jungle gym; cook and bake.
* Go on regular field study visits to different environments - including a residential visit - incorporating science, geography, history, art and craft, including literacy and numeracy skills as needed.
* Create and use a colourful addition to the outdoor environment: paint a wall; paint paving stones; build a rock garden; plant a small piece of garden; create a wildlife area.
* Produce a bound book, written and illustrated with own drawings, favourite pictures and photographs, using computer software and craft techniques. Work with all kinds of art and craft media in workshops. Learn how to draw upside down.
* Receive a card, booklet or simple craft token (eg a heart), containing affirmative statements from every child in the class and every adult with whom the child has contact every year.
* Speak or act before the whole school, commensurate with ability, at least once a term. Attend regular informal meetings to provide the chance to reflect on individual, class and school progress, brainstorming ideas for improvement.
Angela Pollard Support and maths teacher Crescent school, Rugby
My ideal targets for every child would be:
* Learn to run a small shop; play with sand and water; go on a jungle gym; cook and bake.
* Go on regular field study visits to different environments - including a residential visit - incorporating science, geography, history, art and craft, including literacy and numeracy skills as needed.
* Create and use a colourful addition to the outdoor environment: paint a wall; paint paving stones; build a rock garden; plant a small piece of garden; create a wildlife area.
* Produce a bound book, written and illustrated with own drawings, favourite pictures and photographs, using computer software and craft techniques. Work with all kinds of art and craft media in workshops. Learn how to draw upside down.
* Receive a card, booklet or simple craft token (eg a heart), containing affirmative statements from every child in the class and every adult with whom the child has contact every year.
* Speak or act before the whole school, commensurate with ability, at least once a term. Attend regular informal meetings to provide the chance to reflect on individual, class and school progress, brainstorming ideas for improvement.
Saturday 10 January 2009
Challenges for the Working Gal
Saturday, 24th January 2009
Challenges for the Working Gal: Survival at home and at work
Life is hectic!
Phew – Christmas is over and done with, and now it’s back to ‘normal’ – whatever normal is. We’re back at work and are busy trying to juggle our lives into a semblance of normality. Time becomes a premium again.
Great that everyone is here this morning. May God bless our time together. I think that just setting this time aside for God is brilliant – we may have felt like not getting up early this morning, not turning out in the cold and rain, but yet God honours our wish to meet together in pursuit of relationship with Him and each other. He honours our sacrifice of time.
Time poor, work rich
It seems to me that challenges for women who work full time outside the home are complex and yet quite simple:
1. To have enough time and energy to maintain relationships with friends, family, with God – whether this be through words, through caring – cooking, cleaning etc, through visiting...through spending time in worship or prayer, in Bible reading or study…
2. To have enough time and energy to nurture ourselves – to replenish reserves whether this be through quiet times on our own (exercising, caring for ourselves, prayer) or being energised through others.
3. To have enough time and energy to be Jesus to our work colleagues – thinking of and supporting them, being ready with a wise or encouraging word. Being prepared to be bold.
How do we balance all this?
The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 4:6
One handful of peaceful repose Is better than two fistfuls of worried work— More spitting into the wind. (The Message)
Psalm 127 verse 2 says:
It's useless to rise early and go to bed late, and work your worried fingers to the bone. Don't you know he enjoys giving rest to those he loves?
1. Be easy on ourselves
1. Don’t compare ourselves with anyone else. Easy to say, hard not to do. Yet as we come to believe that we are unique, with our gifts and talents, our funny quirks and our hidden strengths – sometimes so hidden we don’t realise they are there until they are tested – we can become more relaxed.
2. Our best IS good enough. Whatever hours there are in the day, if we fill them, work hard, be ourselves in all we do, then that is absolutely fine. We don’t need to beat up on ourselves any more. Michele Guinness (Worth Knowing, wisdom for women, p67 says: “We can probably do two out of three well: church and work, church and children or work and children but the third, which will be different at different phases of our lives, will always be the poor relation.”
3. Enjoy what we are doing. That might seem obvious, but how often do we fall into ‘grumble mode’? I had an email recently, which said: Be thankful! Then followed a long list of irritants to be thankful for, including being thankful for clothes that are too tight because it means that we have enough to eat, and being thankful for a lawn that needs mowing or a floor that needs cleaning because it means that we have a home to live in!
2. Keep the right perspective
4. Take time to keep our priorities right and the demands on us in perspective. Just as Martin Luther prayed longer when he knew he had a busy day, so we need to take a step back and look at the demands we face. Review what we are doing: do we really need to do it now? At all?
5. We’re planned for a purpose, as Rick Warren (Purpose Driven Life) might say. That applies just as much to our work and our role in the workplace. We are not at work to earn money, develop our talents or even to feel good about ourselves, though all those things are excellent and useful. We are at work, in that particular place, because God has put us there for His purposes. Romans 8:28 says for all things work to good for those who love the Lord.
We may have worked somewhere for years just to be there for a particular person at a particular time. Keep our eyes open: the needs are many and there may be just one person who, at a nudge from God, needs our love and care, or our witness or service. We may be like Esther, put into her position ‘for such a time as this’. We don’t’ know. Just believe that your work matters hugely to God because YOU ARE THERE.
6. That is not to say that we need to stay somewhere for ever. Jobs and roles change and we need to be open to God’s prompting to move on. It’s useful to review our purpose periodically: we are at the beginning of a new year, which is always a useful place to start. As a teacher, I often find myself doing that in September at the start of the new academic year. Maybe ask yourself what you’d like to be doing this time next year; or what you could achieve this year. Admit your secret desires to God.
Psalm 37:3-5 (New International Version)
3 Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
4 Delight yourself 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:
So how can we achieve a good work/life balance?
Make sure we have time for God. When we take sufficient time to rest and pray, the Lord renews, gives insight, and energizes us to accomplish twice as much when we jump back into the job at hand.
Approach the ‘must do’ chores with a good attitude: cooking, shopping, cleaning, washing, fetching, carrying, filing, telephoning, writing, preparing… whatever we do, imagine we are doing it for Jesus. This doesn’t always work, but it often helps lighten the load.
Don’t over commit ourselves. I venture to suggest that no one should be involved in more than one ministry at church. Remember: if you do it, you are depriving someone else of becoming involved. And if you are the only one who can get something done, maybe that thing doesn’t need to be done at all? Which leads me on to…
Let go of responsibilities when we have to. We can’t always achieve what we want. An old Swedish proverb says: ‘better a little dirt in the corners than a clean hell’. Don’t wear ourselves out. Give someone else the chance to do things. That applies in all spheres of life: at work, at home, in our social groups or activities.
Forgive ourselves when we can’t get everything done. At the end of the day (and I mean at the end of every day!) realise that we can only do our best. In the last few minutes before you sleep, review the day. Did you use the time wisely? If you did, you can do no more. If you didn’t, ask God’s forgiveness for wasting time or being lazy, and ask His help not to do that again. And remember: sitting down with your feet up and a cup of tea for 10 minutes when you first get home from work is not laziness – it is completing your last work assignment of the day: transforming yourself back into a human being!
Questions to think about:
What time of day is best to give to God? First thing, before everyone is up? Last thing at night? In a lunchbreak? What works for you?
Which tasks most trigger your grumble mode? Identifying them could help you deal with this – how could you transform them into a praise opportunity: sandwich them in before something you enjoy; remember to actively give them to God?
Review your commitments. Which are non-essential? Which come into the category of ‘I quite like doing this but realise I don’t really have to’? Which are activities where you feel fulfilled and energised?
Which regular commitments can you opt out of so that you don’t become overtired? Are these seasonal? Could you put a time limit on them?
How are you feeling about your work and home life? What do you need to do now?
Challenges for the Working Gal: Being a witness, making disciples
Time is sufficient; but opportunities are lost
If we give ourselves enough time, we can be open to the challenges that God has for us. I don’t know about you, but I find it horrifyingly easy to divide myself into several different people depending on where I am, and often, they don’t resemble each other.
Let me give you an example. At church, I can be a listening ear, a smiling face, an enthusiastic worshipper. At home, when I’m tired at the end of the day, my ears are far from listening and my mouth is far too ready to talk. At other times, my church and home personalities overlap as I am equally ready to pray in either situation – but not at work, even when scenarios are uncannily similar. I’ll pray for a Christian friend or family member who is struggling with a difficult relationship; I won’t, usually, for a colleague – although, when I have occasionally done so, it has been well received.
There are people we know who stay the same wherever they are. How can we do that too?
Here are some suggestions for bringing your church or home person to work.
Be yourself
Treat your colleagues as you want to be treated
Take a few minutes to read some words from the Bible in your lunch break. Refocusing will help close the gap.
Pray on your way to work; at work; before a meeting.
Take risks. Those who don’t ask don’t get. This applies to building relationships, offering prayer, sharing words of encouragement. It’s scary – but not as scary as the thought that Jesus will one day ask you why you didn’t share your treasure with others!
Challenges for the Working Gal: Survival at home and at work
Life is hectic!
Phew – Christmas is over and done with, and now it’s back to ‘normal’ – whatever normal is. We’re back at work and are busy trying to juggle our lives into a semblance of normality. Time becomes a premium again.
Great that everyone is here this morning. May God bless our time together. I think that just setting this time aside for God is brilliant – we may have felt like not getting up early this morning, not turning out in the cold and rain, but yet God honours our wish to meet together in pursuit of relationship with Him and each other. He honours our sacrifice of time.
Time poor, work rich
It seems to me that challenges for women who work full time outside the home are complex and yet quite simple:
1. To have enough time and energy to maintain relationships with friends, family, with God – whether this be through words, through caring – cooking, cleaning etc, through visiting...through spending time in worship or prayer, in Bible reading or study…
2. To have enough time and energy to nurture ourselves – to replenish reserves whether this be through quiet times on our own (exercising, caring for ourselves, prayer) or being energised through others.
3. To have enough time and energy to be Jesus to our work colleagues – thinking of and supporting them, being ready with a wise or encouraging word. Being prepared to be bold.
How do we balance all this?
The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 4:6
One handful of peaceful repose Is better than two fistfuls of worried work— More spitting into the wind. (The Message)
Psalm 127 verse 2 says:
It's useless to rise early and go to bed late, and work your worried fingers to the bone. Don't you know he enjoys giving rest to those he loves?
1. Be easy on ourselves
1. Don’t compare ourselves with anyone else. Easy to say, hard not to do. Yet as we come to believe that we are unique, with our gifts and talents, our funny quirks and our hidden strengths – sometimes so hidden we don’t realise they are there until they are tested – we can become more relaxed.
2. Our best IS good enough. Whatever hours there are in the day, if we fill them, work hard, be ourselves in all we do, then that is absolutely fine. We don’t need to beat up on ourselves any more. Michele Guinness (Worth Knowing, wisdom for women, p67 says: “We can probably do two out of three well: church and work, church and children or work and children but the third, which will be different at different phases of our lives, will always be the poor relation.”
3. Enjoy what we are doing. That might seem obvious, but how often do we fall into ‘grumble mode’? I had an email recently, which said: Be thankful! Then followed a long list of irritants to be thankful for, including being thankful for clothes that are too tight because it means that we have enough to eat, and being thankful for a lawn that needs mowing or a floor that needs cleaning because it means that we have a home to live in!
2. Keep the right perspective
4. Take time to keep our priorities right and the demands on us in perspective. Just as Martin Luther prayed longer when he knew he had a busy day, so we need to take a step back and look at the demands we face. Review what we are doing: do we really need to do it now? At all?
5. We’re planned for a purpose, as Rick Warren (Purpose Driven Life) might say. That applies just as much to our work and our role in the workplace. We are not at work to earn money, develop our talents or even to feel good about ourselves, though all those things are excellent and useful. We are at work, in that particular place, because God has put us there for His purposes. Romans 8:28 says for all things work to good for those who love the Lord.
We may have worked somewhere for years just to be there for a particular person at a particular time. Keep our eyes open: the needs are many and there may be just one person who, at a nudge from God, needs our love and care, or our witness or service. We may be like Esther, put into her position ‘for such a time as this’. We don’t’ know. Just believe that your work matters hugely to God because YOU ARE THERE.
6. That is not to say that we need to stay somewhere for ever. Jobs and roles change and we need to be open to God’s prompting to move on. It’s useful to review our purpose periodically: we are at the beginning of a new year, which is always a useful place to start. As a teacher, I often find myself doing that in September at the start of the new academic year. Maybe ask yourself what you’d like to be doing this time next year; or what you could achieve this year. Admit your secret desires to God.
Psalm 37:3-5 (New International Version)
3 Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
4 Delight yourself 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:
So how can we achieve a good work/life balance?
Make sure we have time for God. When we take sufficient time to rest and pray, the Lord renews, gives insight, and energizes us to accomplish twice as much when we jump back into the job at hand.
Approach the ‘must do’ chores with a good attitude: cooking, shopping, cleaning, washing, fetching, carrying, filing, telephoning, writing, preparing… whatever we do, imagine we are doing it for Jesus. This doesn’t always work, but it often helps lighten the load.
Don’t over commit ourselves. I venture to suggest that no one should be involved in more than one ministry at church. Remember: if you do it, you are depriving someone else of becoming involved. And if you are the only one who can get something done, maybe that thing doesn’t need to be done at all? Which leads me on to…
Let go of responsibilities when we have to. We can’t always achieve what we want. An old Swedish proverb says: ‘better a little dirt in the corners than a clean hell’. Don’t wear ourselves out. Give someone else the chance to do things. That applies in all spheres of life: at work, at home, in our social groups or activities.
Forgive ourselves when we can’t get everything done. At the end of the day (and I mean at the end of every day!) realise that we can only do our best. In the last few minutes before you sleep, review the day. Did you use the time wisely? If you did, you can do no more. If you didn’t, ask God’s forgiveness for wasting time or being lazy, and ask His help not to do that again. And remember: sitting down with your feet up and a cup of tea for 10 minutes when you first get home from work is not laziness – it is completing your last work assignment of the day: transforming yourself back into a human being!
Questions to think about:
What time of day is best to give to God? First thing, before everyone is up? Last thing at night? In a lunchbreak? What works for you?
Which tasks most trigger your grumble mode? Identifying them could help you deal with this – how could you transform them into a praise opportunity: sandwich them in before something you enjoy; remember to actively give them to God?
Review your commitments. Which are non-essential? Which come into the category of ‘I quite like doing this but realise I don’t really have to’? Which are activities where you feel fulfilled and energised?
Which regular commitments can you opt out of so that you don’t become overtired? Are these seasonal? Could you put a time limit on them?
How are you feeling about your work and home life? What do you need to do now?
Challenges for the Working Gal: Being a witness, making disciples
Time is sufficient; but opportunities are lost
If we give ourselves enough time, we can be open to the challenges that God has for us. I don’t know about you, but I find it horrifyingly easy to divide myself into several different people depending on where I am, and often, they don’t resemble each other.
Let me give you an example. At church, I can be a listening ear, a smiling face, an enthusiastic worshipper. At home, when I’m tired at the end of the day, my ears are far from listening and my mouth is far too ready to talk. At other times, my church and home personalities overlap as I am equally ready to pray in either situation – but not at work, even when scenarios are uncannily similar. I’ll pray for a Christian friend or family member who is struggling with a difficult relationship; I won’t, usually, for a colleague – although, when I have occasionally done so, it has been well received.
There are people we know who stay the same wherever they are. How can we do that too?
Here are some suggestions for bringing your church or home person to work.
Be yourself
Treat your colleagues as you want to be treated
Take a few minutes to read some words from the Bible in your lunch break. Refocusing will help close the gap.
Pray on your way to work; at work; before a meeting.
Take risks. Those who don’t ask don’t get. This applies to building relationships, offering prayer, sharing words of encouragement. It’s scary – but not as scary as the thought that Jesus will one day ask you why you didn’t share your treasure with others!
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