Recently, a teen who was hired at a local fast
food establishment was told that while working, she was to give no evidence of
being a Christian. She is not to show or
demonstrate her Christianity while she works… no crosses, conversations, etc.
I am wondering if, as believers, we should not
respond with the following statement.
“I can abide not wearing a cross on my clothing
or jewelry that represents my beliefs, but I cannot work here and not show my Christianity. You see, my relationship with God will be
demonstrated in my respect for you as my employer and/or supervisor. It will require me to respect you to your
face and in your absence. My Christianity
will also require me to be honest in my reporting of time, when I arrive at
work, and when I take my breaks, as well as how I take care of your property and
handle your finances or money. My
beliefs will be demonstrated as I work hard and do a reliable job whether it be
scrubbing toilets, mopping the floor, or serving customers. You see, I don’t work just for my paycheck or
to please you, I work to give honor and glory to Jesus Christ my Creator, and He
expects not only hard work, but a good attitude as I do my work both inwardly
and outwardly. As a Christian, I will
demonstrate love to my co-workers and customers, because I want to honor my God
and obey Him who first loved me. My
speech while I work will also give glory to God, in that I choose to honor Him
by speaking no profanity or obscenity, nor will I speak any lie or
falsehood. This may require me, if asked,
to give credit to Jesus as my Savior or my Guide in life.
You see, because the Holy Spirit lives within me
and guides me as I go through my day, if you hire me you will get an honest,
hard-working, obedient, trustworthy, and loving employee. To promise that I could work for you and hide
my Christianity would be dishonest of me and unloyal to my Savior, but I do
look forward to the opportunity of being employed with you and helping you to
maintain and serve a quality product, with quality service.”
These principles are taken from I Peter 2:18-25
and the lives of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the book of Daniel.
Oh, that all believers would demonstrate Jesus
Christ in their actions and attitudes in the workplace. Then, employers would be asking for more
Christians in their workforce!
This illustration was part of a full sermon on I Peter
2:11-25 entitled “Submitting in an Unsubmissive World!”. You can listen in at www.sermon.net/fbclittletonil .
If you have any questions I can be reached at pllindow@fbclittletonil.org.
