Sparks in the workplace Believe it or not, a lot of romance starts on the job. Some marital counselors estimate that 90 percent of sexual affairs begin at work. We may not of the office or plant as especially romantic, but during the work week many people spend more waking hours with their co-workers than with their family. You may find yourself attracted, on occasion. If you’re single, fine. If you’re already married, that’s another story. The business environment can be especially conducive to temptations, says Lois Mowday, author of The Snare. “The office atmosphere is charged with factors that heighten emotional response: energy, motion, excitement, stress, competition, weariness. People in similar situations under similar pressures are drawn together for reinforcement. If unprepared, adulterous relationships can develop rapidly as a result,” she says. You may find yourself working together with spirited, gifted people who are attractive to you. You may work closely on tasks that require teamwork, creative energy, deadlines, overtime, maybe even some travel together. It’s important to be alert to what might be happening. Here are a few things to watch for. • Don’t think others won’t notice. They will, no matter how discreet you think you’re being. There’s a light that goes on over your head that flashes, “We’re an item.” • Be warned against going for lunch together, just the two of you. Be especially wary if you have to travel together. • Working late on a project together, with adrenalin and creative juices flowing, can be a recipe for behavior you may regret later. • Don’t ever — repeat, ever — share information about your own marital struggles. • As a general rule, don’t meet in total privacy with anyone of the opposite sex without keeping the door open. • Don’t touch co-workers, even as a joke. That can lead to all kinds of heartaches, like lawsuits. • Don’t think, even for a minute, that these cautions don’t apply if you work for a Christian organization or company. They do.
What you make possible Mike Wittmer’s laptop had slowed to a crawl. Every keystroke produced a two-second delay; every mouse click generated a multi-colored spinning wheel. In frustration he clicked various tabs, but that just froze his computer entirely. Wittmer took his laptop to the Help Desk. “It didn’t go well,” he writes in The High Calling. The tech on call, his friend Jordan, couldn’t get the right screens to accept Wittmer’s password even after 15 tries. Meanwhile Jordan was being besieged by other callers needing help. Even though everyone seemed frazzled, it wasn’t a complete disaster, writes Wittmer, who teaches at Grand Rapids Theological Seminary and is the author of Heaven Is a Place on Earth: Why Everything You Do Matters to God. “Jordan’s night seemed like a failure until you see the big picture. Jordan understands that his job is part of God’s larger story of creation, fall, and redemption.” Like all of us, says Wittmer, God made Jordan in his image to steward this world on his behalf (Gen. 1:28). Adam and Eve were placed in the Garden of Eden “to work it and take care of it” (Gen. 2:15). “He wanted them to make something of the world, weaving the raw materials of nature into a flourishing human culture that would extend to the ends of the earth,” Wittmer writes. “Jordan’s job contributes to this larger endeavor. His behindthe-scenes role supports the technology that enables others to make something of the world. “Jordan didn’t quote a Bible verse or lay hands on my laptop. But his response was thoroughly Christian. He never lost his composure through the entire ordeal. He exuded patience, the fruit of the Spirit that takes the longest to ripen.... “What task has God called you to do? It might be menial, and it might be hard. Maybe you’re having a rough shift right now. If so, God has given you a golden opportunity. Can you describe what your job makes possible? How do you enable others to make something of the world? Answer these questions, and you will find God’s purpose in your job.”
Excerpted from You’re Hired! Looking for work in all the right places, a career guide from MEDA. Available for free download at www.meda.org The Marketplace January February 2015
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