The Ultimate Goal

Ten minutes into my morning commute and I was stopped dead in traffic. It was Monday. The darkness that Daylight Saving Time brought on combined with a steady morning rain made road conditions more perilous than usual. And some poor schmuck had not adjusted his driving skills accordingly. I sighed as the police car sidled up the berm, followed closely by the ambulance. I hope no one is hurt, I thought, craning my neck to see. But when an hour passed and I had barely moved, my concern turned to grumbling. So I did what I usually do when that happens. I called my husband. I need some encouragement, I said. What’s up? He asked. I’m having a bad day. This before even arriving at my place of employ. Mondays can be hard. When we embarked upon this book club journey several weeks ago, John D. Beckett made us a promise. In the introduction to Loving Monday: Succeeding in Business without Selling Your Soul, Beckett boasts:

I’m convinced that truth applied produces results. [In this book] You will find new and fresh ways to bring energy and meaning to what you do day in and day out. Your customers will notice, and your fellow employees will see the difference…

As we arrive at the end of our journey, I want to know: Did the book deliver? Are Mondays “like buttah” for you now? Even more, has every day of work become more meaningful for you? These are questions I am asking myself as I leaf through the final pages of Loving Monday. I feel that I have a few more tools to help add value to my work life after reading this book. But the One Thing--the Thing that can truly transform this area of my life—is not really driven home until the second to the last chapter.

Even the clearest exposition of biblical truth and the most zealous efforts to integrate this truth into our work will leave us short of the ultimate goal. The ultimate goal is a relationship.

In our final chapter, he goes on to say:

A close relationship with the Lord will bring about a compelling and necessary result. We will find it possible to bring every aspect of our lives, including our work, into alignment with God’s truth and design.

This is the most profound tool that Loving Monday offers me. If I am seeking first an intimate relationship with God, that leads me to view my co-workers as having infinite worth, it encourages me to use my gifts in my daily work, to view trouble as an opportunity for growth; it fosters compassion, prompts me to give back, guides me in balancing my family and work, leads me into a rich prayer life, and builds the vision and values in me that are congruent with biblical principles. In short, pursuing relationship with God accomplishes all that Beckett recommends between the pages of Loving Monday. And that gets me all verklempt. How about you? For our discussion, let me know what parts of Loving Monday specifically spoke to you. Do you feel like you have some new tools to take into your workplace to integrate your faith into your daily grind? If so, what are they? I look forward to your overall impressions. It’s been fun traveling through this book with you. Stay tuned in the following weeks for our next book club announcement. See you there! Related posts: Glynn's Loving Monday: Relationships Lyla's Loving Monday: Unqualified Monica's Annual Spring Almost-Burnout Photo: Morning Star by Elizabeth Weller, used with permission. Post by Laura Boggess