Meekness and Humility at Work
Last time we learned that the virtues of meekness and humility were an integral part of our Lord's character. Let's see how we might apply these at work, starting with meekness.
You may think that meekness would be the last virtue we should emulate at work. At first blush, it would seem to be an invitation to be taken advantage of by those more ambitious sorts on the job. If so, you may be confusing "meek" with "weak." While these two words rhyme, their meanings couldn't be more distinct. When Our Lord says that He is meek, it has nothing to do with weakness. This becomes clear when we contrast the primary and secondary meanings of "meek." Primary: enduring injury with patience and without resentment; secondary: deficient in spirit and courage. In the Crucifixion, we find the clearest example of the primary meaning. To understand the power of Our Lord's meekness, simply recall Matthew 27:40, "If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross."
If we consider the unimaginable suffering He endured and the simple fact that He could have blown His enemies to kingdom come in an instant to end that suffering, we'll get at least some idea of the power of meekness in Our Lord's life. We witness that meekness in His submission to the will of His Father in the Garden of Gethsemane. And we see His total, complete submission as He permits the Sanhedrin and the Roman soldiers to crucify Him unto death.
But even as we acknowledge that Our Lord's character serves as an example for each of us to emulate, where does meekness fit in at work? We'll find out by considering how and why we can and should be "submissive" on the job.
First of all, let's clear the air of any thought that we need to be submissive to those who would take advantage of us. That's absurd. Allowing people to walk all over you is bad for you and bad for them. We should expect to be treated fairly. When someone treats you unfairly, there's no reason to "take it." In fact, it's uncharitable if you enable bad behavior by someone else. So where does submission enter the picture at work?
We might begin with our interior life. In case you're not familiar with, or don't spend enough time with, your interior life, consider Jesus statement that "without me you can do nothing" (Jn 15:5). Pope St. John Paul II noted that this "constantly reminds us of the primacy of Christ and, in union with Him, the primacy of the interior life and of holiness." Note his reference to the primacy of the interior life. In our interior life, we develop an intimate relationship with Our Lord. A strong interior life establishes His constant presence in our minds and hearts throughout the day. Even with our mind and body fully focused on our work, a strong interior life allows us to be "in touch" with God. To understand the role of submission in our relationship with God, simply recall the words of the Our Father: "Thy will be done."
But in addition to our interior life, the submission inherent in meekness can also find its way into our external activity at work. Some examples:
When I returned to work after Labor Day, not only was it the first day back after a holiday break, but the weather was dreadful and I was stuck in morning traffic. So starting the day in a bit of a rotten mood, I was tempted to put off some of the tasks I had scheduled that day. Instead, I reminded myself that these were scheduled for a reason. So rather than resist, I submitted to the schedule carefully laid out before the holiday break. With a short prayer leading the way, I was in the thick of it in no time. Given the fact that I run my own business, I could have easily rescheduled some items. But, frankly, that would be self-indulgent. Better to submit to the work at hand in a spirit of submission. As a result, everything got done, even if I wasn't the happiest camper doing it.
Besides submitting to your daily task list, meekness might play a legitimate role in your interactions with people at work. Recall here the primary meaning of meekness - enduring injury with patience and without resentment - and Our Lord's example of this in His passion and death. While we shouldn't allow others to take advantage of us, or push us around, the fact is we may be subjected to someone's mood or temper. We can either return tit for tat, or we can express ourselves with patience and without resentment. If the latter, we've demonstrated the virtue of meekness.
These two examples of responding meekly help us better understand the full meaning of the words of Our Lord that we referenced in our previous post that led us to today's discussion of meekness:
Rather than rail against unpleasant tasks or people at work, we endure such unpleasantness with patience and without resentment. Instead of bitterness or conflict, our souls will find rest.
Having better understood the role of the virtue of meekness at work, what about humility? Well, since meekness took up our allotted time today, we'll circle back to humility next time.
You may think that meekness would be the last virtue we should emulate at work. At first blush, it would seem to be an invitation to be taken advantage of by those more ambitious sorts on the job. If so, you may be confusing "meek" with "weak." While these two words rhyme, their meanings couldn't be more distinct. When Our Lord says that He is meek, it has nothing to do with weakness. This becomes clear when we contrast the primary and secondary meanings of "meek." Primary: enduring injury with patience and without resentment; secondary: deficient in spirit and courage. In the Crucifixion, we find the clearest example of the primary meaning. To understand the power of Our Lord's meekness, simply recall Matthew 27:40, "If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross."
If we consider the unimaginable suffering He endured and the simple fact that He could have blown His enemies to kingdom come in an instant to end that suffering, we'll get at least some idea of the power of meekness in Our Lord's life. We witness that meekness in His submission to the will of His Father in the Garden of Gethsemane. And we see His total, complete submission as He permits the Sanhedrin and the Roman soldiers to crucify Him unto death.
But even as we acknowledge that Our Lord's character serves as an example for each of us to emulate, where does meekness fit in at work? We'll find out by considering how and why we can and should be "submissive" on the job.
First of all, let's clear the air of any thought that we need to be submissive to those who would take advantage of us. That's absurd. Allowing people to walk all over you is bad for you and bad for them. We should expect to be treated fairly. When someone treats you unfairly, there's no reason to "take it." In fact, it's uncharitable if you enable bad behavior by someone else. So where does submission enter the picture at work?
We might begin with our interior life. In case you're not familiar with, or don't spend enough time with, your interior life, consider Jesus statement that "without me you can do nothing" (Jn 15:5). Pope St. John Paul II noted that this "constantly reminds us of the primacy of Christ and, in union with Him, the primacy of the interior life and of holiness." Note his reference to the primacy of the interior life. In our interior life, we develop an intimate relationship with Our Lord. A strong interior life establishes His constant presence in our minds and hearts throughout the day. Even with our mind and body fully focused on our work, a strong interior life allows us to be "in touch" with God. To understand the role of submission in our relationship with God, simply recall the words of the Our Father: "Thy will be done."
But in addition to our interior life, the submission inherent in meekness can also find its way into our external activity at work. Some examples:
When I returned to work after Labor Day, not only was it the first day back after a holiday break, but the weather was dreadful and I was stuck in morning traffic. So starting the day in a bit of a rotten mood, I was tempted to put off some of the tasks I had scheduled that day. Instead, I reminded myself that these were scheduled for a reason. So rather than resist, I submitted to the schedule carefully laid out before the holiday break. With a short prayer leading the way, I was in the thick of it in no time. Given the fact that I run my own business, I could have easily rescheduled some items. But, frankly, that would be self-indulgent. Better to submit to the work at hand in a spirit of submission. As a result, everything got done, even if I wasn't the happiest camper doing it.
Besides submitting to your daily task list, meekness might play a legitimate role in your interactions with people at work. Recall here the primary meaning of meekness - enduring injury with patience and without resentment - and Our Lord's example of this in His passion and death. While we shouldn't allow others to take advantage of us, or push us around, the fact is we may be subjected to someone's mood or temper. We can either return tit for tat, or we can express ourselves with patience and without resentment. If the latter, we've demonstrated the virtue of meekness.
These two examples of responding meekly help us better understand the full meaning of the words of Our Lord that we referenced in our previous post that led us to today's discussion of meekness:
Come unto me all you that labor, and are burdened,
and I will refresh you.
Take my yoke upon your and learn of me,
Because I am meek and humble of heart,
and you shall find rest to your souls.
For my yoke is sweet and my burden light.
Rather than rail against unpleasant tasks or people at work, we endure such unpleasantness with patience and without resentment. Instead of bitterness or conflict, our souls will find rest.
Having better understood the role of the virtue of meekness at work, what about humility? Well, since meekness took up our allotted time today, we'll circle back to humility next time.
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