Why Things Don't Go Right at Work
I'd love for everything to go right at work.
I'd love for all my projects to be done perfectly and on time. I'd love for my relationships with my co-workers to be based on mutual respect and, yes, even charity.
Whenever a problem occurs - and what would a work day be without some problem or even a crisis cutting into your plan for the day's work? - I'd love to quietly, rationally assess what needs to be done and get down to the business of solving the problem without anxiety or discouragement. Whenever a member of my team either doesn't complete or doesn't do a good job with his or her part of the joint project we're working on, I'd love to take a step back and address them in a calm, productive manner that doesn't betray any annoyance or, worse, anger, on my part (unless there is some malice, laziness, or shirking of responsibility involved in their actions).
And on top of it all, I'd love for my boss to always recognize my conscientious work, my wonderful attitude and my great leadership skills.
Would that every day could flow that way. Of course, it usually doesn't.
In thinking about this I came across some thoughts during my spiritual reading about suffering that we might be able to apply to our work when things don't go right, some things that will help us to take those "not-right" things and "super-naturalize" them, to raise them above the mundane and help us in our daily struggle to make spiritual progress.
Suffering, it turns out, is a good thing. That's because it's so easy to get attached to the things of this world. The things of this world that occupy most of our time and attention, the things we work to obtain that wind up seeming so necessary to us, are just turning our minds and hearts away from the one really necessary thing: Jesus Christ. We need suffering from time to time to pull back from the things of this world and remember that interior union with Christ should be the focus of our daily lives. I don't know about you, but it's a rare day when I actually realize this in my daily activities, even though I do understand it.
So suffering forces us to stop trying to build our lives without God, as we typically do. It reminds us that trying to "handle things" on our own - as I typically try to handle things at work when they go wrong - is all wrong. I'm not saying we shouldn't handle things best we can, but we need to understand that only when we place our lives in God's hands do we live a fully Christian - i.e., Christ-centered - life.
When things go our way, when there's no pain or difficulty, we just put God to the side and go about our business. Isn't that true? Well, it certainly is for me.
So, as in all our suffering, when things don't go right today - and there's a good chance something won't go just the way you want it to - you'll know you're on the right path if that difficulty, even that disaster, causes you to love God more and to trust Him completely.
When things don't go right, rejoice: God has come to save you from yourself! Be grateful that He has given you the chance to turn to Him, to place your trust in Him by completely abandoning yourself to His Holy Will and, in doing that, to love Him as you ought.
Deo Gratias!
I'd love for all my projects to be done perfectly and on time. I'd love for my relationships with my co-workers to be based on mutual respect and, yes, even charity.
Whenever a problem occurs - and what would a work day be without some problem or even a crisis cutting into your plan for the day's work? - I'd love to quietly, rationally assess what needs to be done and get down to the business of solving the problem without anxiety or discouragement. Whenever a member of my team either doesn't complete or doesn't do a good job with his or her part of the joint project we're working on, I'd love to take a step back and address them in a calm, productive manner that doesn't betray any annoyance or, worse, anger, on my part (unless there is some malice, laziness, or shirking of responsibility involved in their actions).
And on top of it all, I'd love for my boss to always recognize my conscientious work, my wonderful attitude and my great leadership skills.
Would that every day could flow that way. Of course, it usually doesn't.
In thinking about this I came across some thoughts during my spiritual reading about suffering that we might be able to apply to our work when things don't go right, some things that will help us to take those "not-right" things and "super-naturalize" them, to raise them above the mundane and help us in our daily struggle to make spiritual progress.
Suffering, it turns out, is a good thing. That's because it's so easy to get attached to the things of this world. The things of this world that occupy most of our time and attention, the things we work to obtain that wind up seeming so necessary to us, are just turning our minds and hearts away from the one really necessary thing: Jesus Christ. We need suffering from time to time to pull back from the things of this world and remember that interior union with Christ should be the focus of our daily lives. I don't know about you, but it's a rare day when I actually realize this in my daily activities, even though I do understand it.
So suffering forces us to stop trying to build our lives without God, as we typically do. It reminds us that trying to "handle things" on our own - as I typically try to handle things at work when they go wrong - is all wrong. I'm not saying we shouldn't handle things best we can, but we need to understand that only when we place our lives in God's hands do we live a fully Christian - i.e., Christ-centered - life.
When things go our way, when there's no pain or difficulty, we just put God to the side and go about our business. Isn't that true? Well, it certainly is for me.
So, as in all our suffering, when things don't go right today - and there's a good chance something won't go just the way you want it to - you'll know you're on the right path if that difficulty, even that disaster, causes you to love God more and to trust Him completely.
When things don't go right, rejoice: God has come to save you from yourself! Be grateful that He has given you the chance to turn to Him, to place your trust in Him by completely abandoning yourself to His Holy Will and, in doing that, to love Him as you ought.
Deo Gratias!
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