Relying on the Fatherly Providence of God at Work - Continued
We're continuing our special series of posts to help us work through this
Holy Season of Lent. Each will incorporate the advice provided by Father de
Caussade in Abandonment to Divine Providence, specifically
referencing passages from the "Letters on the Practice of Abandonment to
Divine Providence" that are typically included in editions of his
spiritual writing.
We continue now with Letter IX - The Goodness of God.
Last time, we considered our desire for success at work. We recognized the role and importance of setting and accomplishing specific goals to achieve success. And, finally, we acknowledged that sometimes we may not meet our expectations, in whole or in part, in the desired time frame.
Faced with the disappointment and frustration that often accompany our less than stellar results, we Catholic men at work should immediately - or at least in time - turn to God. Do we? Or do we instead continually attempt to rely strictly on ourselves? Father de Caussade cuts right to the essence of the matter:
"Have you forgotten that everything that happens is ordained by Divine Providence? And if we recognize this truth how is it that we are not humbly submissive in every event both great and small that God wills or permits?"
Let's pause for a moment to consider three critical words in those two questions: 1) humbly; 2) wills; 3) permits.
If we rely exclusively on our own efforts, it can be a manifestation of pride. Recognizing that, ultimately, God is in charge will help us develop humility.
God both wills and permits things to happen to us. When we ask God for some favor and He doesn't grant it - or perhaps doesn't grant it immediately - we need to take the view that it's for our own good. Here are two examples from my own work-life:
On one occasion, I turned down a deal for my company that afterward seemed like a poor decision. Sometime after this - a fairly long time - I was made aware of the initially unseen but, as it turned out, unsavory nature of the organization that we would have done business with. Perhaps God actively willed me to turn down the deal in the first place.
On another occasion, a manager in my own company undermined a deal on which I had worked long and hard. I found out he did so because of a personal vendetta he held against the owner of the company I was soliciting. I protested to my superiors. They recognized my protest as valid but paid only lip service. They never confronted the offending manager. There were political reasons for their cowardice. Perhaps God permitted the unjust actions of this manager and my superiors. My disappointment caused me to consider whether I was in the right situation with the right company. (It was a rather large deal that I really needed to keep me in good stead.) It eventually led to a better work situation for me, but it took a long time for that to happen. During the long wait, until I could eventually see how it turned out for the better, Father de Caussades words here would have been quite helpful:
"Oh! how blind we are when we desire anything other than what God wills! He alone knows the dangers that threaten us in the future, and the helps we shall require."
By the way, I did wonder why so much time had to pass before I realized that God's Plan for me was better than my own. Father de Caussade offers a possible answer:
"Even if the painful vicissitudes through which God makes us pass should be in punishment for our unfaithfulness, we ought to say to ourselves, 'God wills it by permitting it,' and humbly submit...If you were more enlightened you would judge differently from the ordinary run of human beings; then too, what a source of peace and strength this way of looking at things would prove to you."
Recognizing the Fatherly Providence of God whether at work or in our personal lives brings us peace and strength now and in the future. But it requires our understanding that God sees what we don't, and desires what's best for us.
We continue now with Letter IX - The Goodness of God.
Last time, we considered our desire for success at work. We recognized the role and importance of setting and accomplishing specific goals to achieve success. And, finally, we acknowledged that sometimes we may not meet our expectations, in whole or in part, in the desired time frame.
Faced with the disappointment and frustration that often accompany our less than stellar results, we Catholic men at work should immediately - or at least in time - turn to God. Do we? Or do we instead continually attempt to rely strictly on ourselves? Father de Caussade cuts right to the essence of the matter:
"Have you forgotten that everything that happens is ordained by Divine Providence? And if we recognize this truth how is it that we are not humbly submissive in every event both great and small that God wills or permits?"
Let's pause for a moment to consider three critical words in those two questions: 1) humbly; 2) wills; 3) permits.
If we rely exclusively on our own efforts, it can be a manifestation of pride. Recognizing that, ultimately, God is in charge will help us develop humility.
God both wills and permits things to happen to us. When we ask God for some favor and He doesn't grant it - or perhaps doesn't grant it immediately - we need to take the view that it's for our own good. Here are two examples from my own work-life:
On one occasion, I turned down a deal for my company that afterward seemed like a poor decision. Sometime after this - a fairly long time - I was made aware of the initially unseen but, as it turned out, unsavory nature of the organization that we would have done business with. Perhaps God actively willed me to turn down the deal in the first place.
On another occasion, a manager in my own company undermined a deal on which I had worked long and hard. I found out he did so because of a personal vendetta he held against the owner of the company I was soliciting. I protested to my superiors. They recognized my protest as valid but paid only lip service. They never confronted the offending manager. There were political reasons for their cowardice. Perhaps God permitted the unjust actions of this manager and my superiors. My disappointment caused me to consider whether I was in the right situation with the right company. (It was a rather large deal that I really needed to keep me in good stead.) It eventually led to a better work situation for me, but it took a long time for that to happen. During the long wait, until I could eventually see how it turned out for the better, Father de Caussades words here would have been quite helpful:
"Oh! how blind we are when we desire anything other than what God wills! He alone knows the dangers that threaten us in the future, and the helps we shall require."
By the way, I did wonder why so much time had to pass before I realized that God's Plan for me was better than my own. Father de Caussade offers a possible answer:
"Even if the painful vicissitudes through which God makes us pass should be in punishment for our unfaithfulness, we ought to say to ourselves, 'God wills it by permitting it,' and humbly submit...If you were more enlightened you would judge differently from the ordinary run of human beings; then too, what a source of peace and strength this way of looking at things would prove to you."
Recognizing the Fatherly Providence of God whether at work or in our personal lives brings us peace and strength now and in the future. But it requires our understanding that God sees what we don't, and desires what's best for us.
We adore Thee O Christ, and we bless Thee,
Because by Thy Holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
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