Are You Sane at Work? Are you Sure?
Some days go smoothly at work; some don't. Some days we start and end the day just about the way we planned. More often, things get offtrack and maybe we've got a crisis or two to handle. But whether things go smoothly and uneventfully, or we wind up having to handle the problems that come with working in the world, we need to show up and handle the day in a basically rational, sane way. Our customers, our clients, our bosses all depend on us showing up ready to handle whatever the day brings.
And so we do, for the most part, handle things. We're competent, we get through the day more or less on top of things. That's how we expect to get through the day; it's what's expected of us. If there's any "insanity" that breaks out during the day, it's not coming from us. We're the ones who have to deal with it. We're the sane ones, right?
Not so fast. I wanted to share some comments with you about what being sane really means. The fact is, being sane means living each day in the light of reality. That makes sense, doesn't it? But what caught my attention was the claim that only saints - yes, saints - are the ones who really live their lives according to the way things really are. They're the ones who are sane. As for the rest of us...well, read this. It describes how the sane man - the saint - lives life. Tell me what you think:
He sees that all things, including himself, would simply cease to be if God for one moment ceased to hold them in existence. When the saint sees anything at all this truth is always there at the back of his mind. He knows that he is entirely dependent on God for everything. He knows that of himself he is nothing and this thought drives him to abandon himself into the hands of God as his sure and only refuge. He not only knows these truths, he sees them, he lives by them. But do we? Do we see, live and breathe these truths? If not, we are not mentally living in the real world.
You see, I think we're not really sane at work - at least I'm not. (Maybe it's different for you.) I think that because I don't depend entirely on God when I'm working. Even when I rely on Him for "personal" stuff - matters related to my family, my spiritual life, etc. - I somehow don't get it that all this applies to my work too. Somehow I think that to depend on God - totally, no exceptions - means that either I'm being lazy or maybe I'm relying on God because maybe I'm not sure what the heck I'm doing.
So I take everything on myself as a matter of responsibility. I certainly ask for God's help, but only after I've jumped in and worked my tail off and pretty much done the job completely and (most times) well.
But it sure looks like that's not a sane way to work, doesn't it. It's pretty clear that I need to totally depend on God at work - totally. It doesn't mean I sit back and do nothing. It means I start out with the attitude that at work - just like in the rest of my life - God's in charge.
Hey, reality is what it is. God's in charge in the end, right - even at work. So it's time to live, to work, sanely. It's time to abandon myself to God at the beginning of my work. It's time live according to the truth, according to the reality that I'm entirely dependent on God.
And it's time to live and act knowing that I myself am nothing - in spite of all the knowledge I've gained and expertise I've built up. It's time to stop "taking credit" and to give all the credit to God - all part of giving greater glory to God.
You know, you can say you work for the "greater glory of God," but if you're taking credit for your great work without recognizing how you're totally dependent on His good grace, without abandoning yourself totally to His Holy Will, you're just kidding yourself.
And, indeed, you're not living in a reasonable or even a sane way,
And so we do, for the most part, handle things. We're competent, we get through the day more or less on top of things. That's how we expect to get through the day; it's what's expected of us. If there's any "insanity" that breaks out during the day, it's not coming from us. We're the ones who have to deal with it. We're the sane ones, right?
Not so fast. I wanted to share some comments with you about what being sane really means. The fact is, being sane means living each day in the light of reality. That makes sense, doesn't it? But what caught my attention was the claim that only saints - yes, saints - are the ones who really live their lives according to the way things really are. They're the ones who are sane. As for the rest of us...well, read this. It describes how the sane man - the saint - lives life. Tell me what you think:
He sees that all things, including himself, would simply cease to be if God for one moment ceased to hold them in existence. When the saint sees anything at all this truth is always there at the back of his mind. He knows that he is entirely dependent on God for everything. He knows that of himself he is nothing and this thought drives him to abandon himself into the hands of God as his sure and only refuge. He not only knows these truths, he sees them, he lives by them. But do we? Do we see, live and breathe these truths? If not, we are not mentally living in the real world.
You see, I think we're not really sane at work - at least I'm not. (Maybe it's different for you.) I think that because I don't depend entirely on God when I'm working. Even when I rely on Him for "personal" stuff - matters related to my family, my spiritual life, etc. - I somehow don't get it that all this applies to my work too. Somehow I think that to depend on God - totally, no exceptions - means that either I'm being lazy or maybe I'm relying on God because maybe I'm not sure what the heck I'm doing.
So I take everything on myself as a matter of responsibility. I certainly ask for God's help, but only after I've jumped in and worked my tail off and pretty much done the job completely and (most times) well.
But it sure looks like that's not a sane way to work, doesn't it. It's pretty clear that I need to totally depend on God at work - totally. It doesn't mean I sit back and do nothing. It means I start out with the attitude that at work - just like in the rest of my life - God's in charge.
Hey, reality is what it is. God's in charge in the end, right - even at work. So it's time to live, to work, sanely. It's time to abandon myself to God at the beginning of my work. It's time live according to the truth, according to the reality that I'm entirely dependent on God.
And it's time to live and act knowing that I myself am nothing - in spite of all the knowledge I've gained and expertise I've built up. It's time to stop "taking credit" and to give all the credit to God - all part of giving greater glory to God.
You know, you can say you work for the "greater glory of God," but if you're taking credit for your great work without recognizing how you're totally dependent on His good grace, without abandoning yourself totally to His Holy Will, you're just kidding yourself.
And, indeed, you're not living in a reasonable or even a sane way,
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