How Jeremiah Helps Us Fight Fear at Work
The prophet Jeremiah helped me fight my fear at work one recent morning. I've been kind of getting frozen facing some big challenges, but I think I'll be okay now. Here's what I mean.
Sometimes work scares me. I've got to do something that just seems impossible. In the past, it's come from a boss. Now I'm the boss, so it comes from me. I've got to tackle a project that's absolutely daunting.
It could be something that I need to do to keep the business going. Times are tough. Revenue isn't reliable anymore. I've got to try new things to keep the business healthy. Or it could be something I know is good for my customers - a new product of service that meets their needs better than before, that improves their physical, mental and (yes) spiritual lives. But it's going to take a huge effort on my part - an effort that seems beyond my capabilities.
Sometimes I get stuck just thinking about it. I can't move. I'm embarrassed to say it, but I'm afraid to move forward.
It's time to think about Jeremiah now. You can go right to the first chapter of the Book of Jeremiah and see why.
He's a "youth" who's been called by God to be a prophet. I don't know how he knows God has called him. It's kind of mysterious. But he knows he's been called. And he's afraid.
Who can blame him? Put yourself in his shoes.
For Jeremiah, being a prophet doesn't mean he's going to walk around and spout things off about the future, and everyone's going to be amazed, and he'll be famous and admired or anything like that. Hey, anyone would want to be one of God's prophets if that's how things were going to go.
But Jeremiah knows things aren't going to go smoothly. He knows that he's going to have to face his own people. They've turned their backs on God and this young guy's going to tell them off. And who the heck is he to go around telling them off?
Plus, he knows God is preparing a punishment for his people. He knows it and he's going to not only tell his people off, but he's going to witness this punishment and suffer alongside his people. He'll suffer from the resentful anger of his own people and he'll suffer from the outsiders - the enemy - who will conquer his people. He's going to suffer, even though he is not one of the people with whom God was angry.
So no one's going to admire or even like him. He's going to suffer. And he'll be out there on his own - except for one ally: God.
But before he even realizes all this, he says (in response to God's calling him to be a prophet): "Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth." God listens and sets him straight:
Okay, so God will tell him what to say. He'll be in his corner. Maybe Jeremiah felt a little better at that point. But then God says this:
Whoa! What's that all about? If I were Jeremiah, I think I would have been tempted to just run for the hills. Imagine being a typical young man thinking, "Hey, I just want to find a good job, have fun with my friends, go out with girls. I wasn't looking to pluck up, break down, destroy, overthrow, build or plant anything."
But Jeremiah doesn't run. He sticks it out and becomes one of the great prophets. And he suffers terribly along the way. And all the fear, doubt, or suffering that accompanies him is met with one thing: his faith and trust in God.
Guess what? I've never faced that kind of challenge, or that kind of fear at work. Sure, it might feel that way in the moment. But really, when I step back, no matter how daunting the challenge felt at the time, it was nothing compared to what Jeremiah might have felt.
So I just have to get up and get to work. God is there to help me. If the challenge is worth the effort, God will get me through it. He'll help me meet the challenge. And if it's not worth it, if I'm doing something that's not worthy, He'll let me know that at some point. And He'll send me in the right direction.
He guided Jeremiah and stuck by him through thick and thin. Amazingly, He'll guide me and stick by me too. That's what I believe. It's a part of my Catholic faith.
Now, I've just got to take that first step and stop worrying or being afraid.
Sometimes work scares me. I've got to do something that just seems impossible. In the past, it's come from a boss. Now I'm the boss, so it comes from me. I've got to tackle a project that's absolutely daunting.
It could be something that I need to do to keep the business going. Times are tough. Revenue isn't reliable anymore. I've got to try new things to keep the business healthy. Or it could be something I know is good for my customers - a new product of service that meets their needs better than before, that improves their physical, mental and (yes) spiritual lives. But it's going to take a huge effort on my part - an effort that seems beyond my capabilities.
Sometimes I get stuck just thinking about it. I can't move. I'm embarrassed to say it, but I'm afraid to move forward.
It's time to think about Jeremiah now. You can go right to the first chapter of the Book of Jeremiah and see why.
He's a "youth" who's been called by God to be a prophet. I don't know how he knows God has called him. It's kind of mysterious. But he knows he's been called. And he's afraid.
Who can blame him? Put yourself in his shoes.
For Jeremiah, being a prophet doesn't mean he's going to walk around and spout things off about the future, and everyone's going to be amazed, and he'll be famous and admired or anything like that. Hey, anyone would want to be one of God's prophets if that's how things were going to go.
But Jeremiah knows things aren't going to go smoothly. He knows that he's going to have to face his own people. They've turned their backs on God and this young guy's going to tell them off. And who the heck is he to go around telling them off?
Plus, he knows God is preparing a punishment for his people. He knows it and he's going to not only tell his people off, but he's going to witness this punishment and suffer alongside his people. He'll suffer from the resentful anger of his own people and he'll suffer from the outsiders - the enemy - who will conquer his people. He's going to suffer, even though he is not one of the people with whom God was angry.
So no one's going to admire or even like him. He's going to suffer. And he'll be out there on his own - except for one ally: God.
But before he even realizes all this, he says (in response to God's calling him to be a prophet): "Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth." God listens and sets him straight:
"Do not say, 'I am only a youth'; for to all to whom I send you you shall go,
and whatever I command you you shall speak.
Be not afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you."
Okay, so God will tell him what to say. He'll be in his corner. Maybe Jeremiah felt a little better at that point. But then God says this:
"See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms,
to pluck up and to break down,
to destroy and to overthrow,
to build and to plant."
But Jeremiah doesn't run. He sticks it out and becomes one of the great prophets. And he suffers terribly along the way. And all the fear, doubt, or suffering that accompanies him is met with one thing: his faith and trust in God.
Guess what? I've never faced that kind of challenge, or that kind of fear at work. Sure, it might feel that way in the moment. But really, when I step back, no matter how daunting the challenge felt at the time, it was nothing compared to what Jeremiah might have felt.
So I just have to get up and get to work. God is there to help me. If the challenge is worth the effort, God will get me through it. He'll help me meet the challenge. And if it's not worth it, if I'm doing something that's not worthy, He'll let me know that at some point. And He'll send me in the right direction.
He guided Jeremiah and stuck by him through thick and thin. Amazingly, He'll guide me and stick by me too. That's what I believe. It's a part of my Catholic faith.
Now, I've just got to take that first step and stop worrying or being afraid.
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