Hold the door!

Dear Millennial,

I’ve gone back and forth about sharing this letter many times…Reason being, I want my letters to appeal to many…but the more I grow, the more I realize that I have to share what’s been put on my heart.

Disclaimer: This letter may not be for everyone.

Have you ever walked through a doorway and mistakenly allowed the door to close behind you, leaving an individual behind you with a door shut in their face?

It’s never done purposely,  but sometimes it just happens…right? Sometimes we believe the person is too far behind us, and/or sometimes we simply just didn’t see them. For me, it’s happened in a variety of places…work and the mall, just to name a few. With time, I’ve become a lot more mindful of holding the door open, and/or pushing the elevator key a little while longer to allow a smooth entrance for the person walking behind me. However, one habit I haven’t fully broken when it comes to this theory is holding the door open a little while longer to invite God into the workplace with me.

For the better part of my career, I’ve walked through the same door in the morning a million times, literally leaving God on the other side. I then walk out that same door at the end of the day, and pick back up with God where I left off. I think I subconsciously made up my mind that God only influences my personal life & orders my steps in that particular area accordingly. Oddly enough, I’d somehow came to the conclusion that He had no influence, ownership or authority over what happened in my workplace.

Anyone else guilty of this?!

I’d settled on the fact that I didn’t go to church, read the bible, or even subscribe to devotionals specifically to learn how to bring God into the workplace to help me communicate better with my boss, finish projects faster, or brainstorm ways of getting promoted. Work and God didn’t align in my mind. I saw myself in control of the day-to-day happenings; I was the “owner”, not the steward. It took some time to realize that I had these roles reversed…nothing gets by Him, and I’ve done nothing on my own.

It’s so interesting how the world influences our way of thinking. How could I not have realized that God was keeping me, protecting me, and guiding me amongst other things in the workplace? It’s so much deeper than what we outline as general functions of our day job. His influence impacts how we treat others, how we handle tough decisions/discussions, how we show respect to others in instances when we want to treat them otherwise. Most importantly, His influence impacts our ability to let go and let God in situations that require  us to understand that it’s His will, not our own. We have to trust God to see things through.

I didn’t come to the conclusion that I wasn’t inviting God into the workplace until I became sick, tired, stressed out and unsure of how to fix the issues that seemed to sprout up out of nowhere and never go away.

Sounds like everyday life right?

When I realized what was happening, it did indeed remind me of everyday life. I reflected on what I did to overcome those feelings in my personal life. Without a second thought, my immediate response to myself was “God”. That’s when I realized that He was waiting for me to hold the door open, and push the elevator key a little longer to allow Him in. Once I started inviting God into the workplace, things began to change. Hard problems seemed a little easier, conflict seemed a little more manageable, and my joy/peace were intact a lot more often than they had been previously.

We can’t accomplish anything personally or professionally on our own…He is the owner, and we are the stewards. We are rewarded when we consciously/obediently take direction & carry out actions according to His will.

Hold the door open, and watch what happens.

-Millennial Jas