How the Simplest Good Habits at Work Can Enrich Our Spiritual Lives
The simple intention of working for the greater glory of God each day has always been recommended as a simple way to sanctify your work each day. Over the past five years, we've discussed different ways to state this intention, to recollect ourselves during a busy day and acknowledge God's Holy Presence, including some special ways to pray, even during our busiest days. Now let's reverse this process and look at how we can look to some of our work habits and practices to help enrich our spiritual lives. We'll start with the simple practice of showing up for work on time.
One of the simplest practices you can develop on the job is showing up for work on time. If it seems ridiculously simple, even simplistic, to espouse being on time, you haven't been in the business world very long (unless my own experience is somehow a complete anomaly - and I don't think it is). I never cease to be amazed at some people who consistently show up late in the morning, even new employees whom you would think would want to not only show up on time, but perhaps even a bit early. Not only does this simple practice demonstrate a basic level of work discipline, but showing up a bit early each morning really helps one prepare for the coming day's work before things really heat up during the typical busy day. Having said this, I'll share with you a particularly mortifying incident from my own work life.
I began a new job one year coincidentally on the first business day of the New Year. At the time, I was happy to get this position and wanted to make a good impression on my new employer. Having never been subject to what I'll call "chronic lateness syndrome" ("CLS" - perhaps a newly discovered psychological condition?), the last thing on my mind that first day was showing up on time.
Since this was a large company, I would be working in a particular department or unit that had decided to begin the year with a special meeting at a location apart from where my new office would be. Having received the e-mail with all the details, I discovered that a Catholic church was only a couple of blocks from the meeting site, and decided that, since the meeting was to begin at 9 AM, I would attend the 8:15 Mass scheduled at this church. Good way to begin the new job in a New Year, right? And having guesstimated that Mass would end by 8:45 AM, I would have 15 minutes to arrive at my destination, which was 5 minutes away, at most. Prudent planning there, right? So imagine how utterly mortifies I was when I showed up at the conference room to find things already begun. Not only that, but the only empty chair around the conference room table was next to the "big boss" of our sector - the one whom I had met at the end of the hiring process and who had the final say in my being hired. And that seat was all the way across the room. With nowhere to run and nowhere to hide, as one of the attendees was speaking to the group, I sheepishly shuffled across the floor and took my seat next to Mr. Big, not knowing what sort of reaction this would elicit. After holding my breath for what seemed like 5 minutes, Mr. Big turned his head and smiled - an act of charity I thought at the time - allowing me to exhale and sit back and focus on the proceedings.
Lesson learned: even someone who "never" comes in late can hit a bump in the road from time to time, a real lesson in humility for me, Mr. "On Time" (at least for business meetings).
So before we get into how the good practice of being on time might help us improve our spiritual lives, we see here an example of how falling short of this ideal (put another way, "screwing up") might allow some blessed hints of humility to slip through the encasing prideful armor that can seal us off from lesser mortals when we strive for perfection in our work. Not that trying our best should be considered a fault, of course, but just beware that the development of good habits may - at least for some of us - lead to a false, even dangerous, pride, which as we know is that most wicked of faults that caused St Michael the Archangel to drive Lucifer from the glory of Heaven to the depths of Hell.
If it's perhaps a bit dramatic referencing the fallen angels, I'd prefer being safe rather than sorry. Catch your faults early, go to confession often, and prevent such failings from growing into hardened vices. Just a suggestion.
Next time we'll return to how we can look to some of our work habits and practices to help enrich our spiritual lives.
One of the simplest practices you can develop on the job is showing up for work on time. If it seems ridiculously simple, even simplistic, to espouse being on time, you haven't been in the business world very long (unless my own experience is somehow a complete anomaly - and I don't think it is). I never cease to be amazed at some people who consistently show up late in the morning, even new employees whom you would think would want to not only show up on time, but perhaps even a bit early. Not only does this simple practice demonstrate a basic level of work discipline, but showing up a bit early each morning really helps one prepare for the coming day's work before things really heat up during the typical busy day. Having said this, I'll share with you a particularly mortifying incident from my own work life.
I began a new job one year coincidentally on the first business day of the New Year. At the time, I was happy to get this position and wanted to make a good impression on my new employer. Having never been subject to what I'll call "chronic lateness syndrome" ("CLS" - perhaps a newly discovered psychological condition?), the last thing on my mind that first day was showing up on time.
Since this was a large company, I would be working in a particular department or unit that had decided to begin the year with a special meeting at a location apart from where my new office would be. Having received the e-mail with all the details, I discovered that a Catholic church was only a couple of blocks from the meeting site, and decided that, since the meeting was to begin at 9 AM, I would attend the 8:15 Mass scheduled at this church. Good way to begin the new job in a New Year, right? And having guesstimated that Mass would end by 8:45 AM, I would have 15 minutes to arrive at my destination, which was 5 minutes away, at most. Prudent planning there, right? So imagine how utterly mortifies I was when I showed up at the conference room to find things already begun. Not only that, but the only empty chair around the conference room table was next to the "big boss" of our sector - the one whom I had met at the end of the hiring process and who had the final say in my being hired. And that seat was all the way across the room. With nowhere to run and nowhere to hide, as one of the attendees was speaking to the group, I sheepishly shuffled across the floor and took my seat next to Mr. Big, not knowing what sort of reaction this would elicit. After holding my breath for what seemed like 5 minutes, Mr. Big turned his head and smiled - an act of charity I thought at the time - allowing me to exhale and sit back and focus on the proceedings.
Lesson learned: even someone who "never" comes in late can hit a bump in the road from time to time, a real lesson in humility for me, Mr. "On Time" (at least for business meetings).
So before we get into how the good practice of being on time might help us improve our spiritual lives, we see here an example of how falling short of this ideal (put another way, "screwing up") might allow some blessed hints of humility to slip through the encasing prideful armor that can seal us off from lesser mortals when we strive for perfection in our work. Not that trying our best should be considered a fault, of course, but just beware that the development of good habits may - at least for some of us - lead to a false, even dangerous, pride, which as we know is that most wicked of faults that caused St Michael the Archangel to drive Lucifer from the glory of Heaven to the depths of Hell.
If it's perhaps a bit dramatic referencing the fallen angels, I'd prefer being safe rather than sorry. Catch your faults early, go to confession often, and prevent such failings from growing into hardened vices. Just a suggestion.
Next time we'll return to how we can look to some of our work habits and practices to help enrich our spiritual lives.
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