An Office with a View?

Tell me if you can relate. Your boss sticks his head in the door and says, “I’ll need you to stay late. We’re running behind and have to get the [widget] out the door before you go home.” Or how about being called into the office with the VP, SVP and EVP who tell you the not-so-secret reorganization is complete and your job has been moved to Texas? You can keep your job and move to Texas or they’ll give you a hefty severance package [hefty for who?] and two weeks to find another job – on your own time of course. Here is one of my favorites. “Sorry, Bob, buy you’re going to have to cancel your family vacation. The client has made some changes and wants delivery when they come back from the holiday break.”

Anything for the boss. Anything for the job. I mean, if you say “no” then your job is at risk. Everyone has heard that popular adage, “The graveyard is full of irreplaceable workers.” So if you’re not irreplaceable, then you must be one of the nearly 130 million full-time workers in these United States who makes that decision on a regular basis.

Now look at it from a different perspective. Look at it from the perspective of the daughter whose softball game you missed – again. Or the wife whose hard work all day getting herself and the kids ready for a peaceful meal around the dinner table – a table you won’t sit at again tonight. Or what about all the promises and plans you and your teenage son, you know the one – the kid who is now as tall as or taller than you and doesn’t really need you anymore – what about the plans you made for vacation?

Don’t get me wrong. Sometimes hard decisions must be made and sometimes our families share in the consequences of those decisions. I think if you ask my family every one of them will tell you I’m an over achiever when it comes to work and an under achiever when it comes to family. As much as I would like to say, “That’s how my parents raised me,” that excuse only goes so far.

It gets tricky when we try to apply God’s word to some things, like family and work. How do we reconcile Colossians 3 with Ephesians 5?

“Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” (Col 3:22-24, NIV)

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing[b] her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— for we are members of his body. ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’” (Eph 5:25-31, NIV)

If Colossians tells us to “serve our masters” who we can logically extrapolate as our work bosses as we would serve Christ, and we know we are to serve Christ with all our heart, all our mind, all our soul and all our strength (Luke 10:27), then how can we not always say “yes” to our boss’ demands? On the converse, if we are to love our wives as Christ loved the church and sacrificed himself on the cross for it, then how can we not put our wives before our boss?

Like most things, Christian, this is about relationship more than service. Christ doesn’t want us to serve anyone but God himself at the expense of our relationships. And then, those times are very few – like, when a relationship is toxic or abusive. What I’m saying, reader, is that we should never question putting our family before other responsibilities. While sometimes you have to work late or change travel plans. Don’t make it a habit.

The next time your boss tells you to stay late but you already have family plans and it’s not entirely necessary, just say no. If you are respected and valued, they’ll make it work.

If not, maybe that’s God closing a door so He can open a window – maybe a corner office with a window…

(Photo: Pinterest)