Community Post: The Extraordinary Influence of Example

Not long ago, I spent some time in a professional and spiritual funk. The experience felt much like I envision the biblical wilderness journey: hot, sticky, and miserable — the kind of journey that sucks you dry and leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

Months earlier, I’d uncovered the concept of business as a ministry. The thought that I could impact someone’s spiritual wellness in my role as an ambitious business professional injected newfound purpose into my daily grind. I was determined to be a worthy ambassador for Christ in my workplace. To that end, I’d woo the jaded, hurt, and hardened to God by loving them, encouraging them, and performing my job with excellence. And I’d do it alongside fellow Christians — workplace ministers in business suits, aprons, scrubs, and construction hats — serving up prayer and encouragement along with our goods and services.

Not all of my church pals got this, though. Not even some of my church leaders.

I got my first clue that this marketplace ministry concept might be foreign to some when I shared my excitement and experiences with a close friend and prominent church leader. We’ll call her Kat. As I gushed about God’s move in my job, Kat stared back in silence, then changed the subject with a polite smile. Finally, she added I should consider taking on more ministries at church. A few more ho-hum reactions like Kat’s began to damper my enthusiasm. But that was just the beginning.

More disappointing were those who plastered crosses and fishes across their business cards, yet bad-mouthed competitors, performed subpar work, or couldn’t keep their promises. One acquaintance consistently missed deadlines because, he argued, God hadn’t shown him what to do about a given work assignment yet.

Disappointed, I withdrew from the local Christian business gatherings for a time. I also stopped talking or writing about marketplace ministry. With so much false advertisement out there, better show it than tell it, I reasoned.

And as I sunk into Debbie Downer mode, I met some real-deal difference makers — genuine followers of Christ who oozed his love and integrity in everything they did, spoke, and were.

Among those was Jim, who mentored me for years on skills that proved crucial to my personal and professional growth. Jim called that mentoring a tithe of his time, expertise, and connections.

Then there was Sue, who hired me for a freelance project. Working alongside Sue, watching the selfless way she cared for her clients and employers turned out to be much more profitable for my spirit than my wallet. Her example left my spirit so full, I felt fully compensated just soaking up the love and gratitude that flowed through her.

Inspired by examples like Jim’s and Sue’s, I then directed my focus to spending time with God and doing my job well (as an act of worship, the Bible calls it). Before long, the age-old law of sowing and reaping kicked in, triggering a series of unexpected God moments, from unlikely promotions to co-workers who’d blurt out in the middle of a work discussion: “How did you find God? Can you pray for me?”

Looking back, I now see we’re all broken, imperfect people in need of a redeemer. And we’re all in different stages of our journey.

Along the road, we’ll walk amidst great and not-so-great journeymen. Some will lead the way, others will trek in circles, and others may cause us to slip. When fellow journeymen fail, it helps to have our eyes on the One who’s conquered the wilderness and knows the way to greener pastures.

Andrea Emerson serves as a brand consultant for a group of technology companies in the Midwest. She tweets at @dreaemerson.

This article is part of a series at The High Calling on "The Local Church Equipping Us in Our Vocations." It seems that in many church contexts, what we do Monday through Friday is the least important thing. But shouldn't Christ be the Lord of our work as much as the Lord of our church's ministry programs, our marriages, and our families? Here at The High Calling we not only want to equip and empower the laity to live out their faith in their vocations, but we want to inspire church leaders toequip their people to do so as well. How can church leaders help their congregants to steward their vocations? How can church communities embrace a discipleship paradigm that includes the workplace? If you want to inspire people in your church community to embrace how the vocations of lay people glorify God, why not encourage them by sharing links to these articles in emails, Facebook posts, or through some other social media?