Faith At Work
- Reflecting God's Character (1)
- It's All About Love (3)
- Here I am. Send me! (4)
- Salt and Light in the Office (5)
You’ve just finished uni, surviving on three years of pot noodles, instant coffee and Christian Union support. Your faith thrived in a bubble of like-minded believers. Or maybe you didn’t go to uni, but you still find it tough to live out your faith, especially at work or college, where you feel like the only Christian around.
I’ve been there (and still am!), struggling to witness in my office job. Evangelism scares me, and I’d say I suck at it. However, I’ve learned that small acts of grace and kindness often speak volumes themselves. I’ve found this reminder helpful when I feel pathetic at evangelism! Here are a few ways to live out your faith at work, wherever you’re starting from.
Be honest
In the working-from-home era, it’s easy to slack off, scroll Instagram, fudge expenses or stretch the lunch break (no one will notice a quick power nap, right?). But as Christians, we’re called to work as if for Christ, not just our boss (Col. 3:23–24). Even when no one’s watching, integrity matters. Whether it’s accurate mileage, clocking time you’ve actually completed or owning your mistakes, your coworkers notice, because it’s so counter-cultural! Serve as the workplace moral compass; let your yes be yes and your no be no. Be a quiet witness through consistent honesty.
Be open
I struggle daily to be open about my faith at work, often due to negative misconceptions about Christianity. It’s tempting to avoid mentioning things like church or how I met my husband (at an EMW camp!), but building relationships with colleagues has made a big difference. As I’ve talked more with them, they’ve been surprisingly open, some even sharing their own experiences with faith and asking for my perspective.
I’ve realised I overthink evangelism because I’m focussing on my own strength and saying the right thing to get them on board with Christianity. It’s not about my strength, it’s God’s. If God is for us, who can be against us? Here’s a reminder to pray for boldness and wisdom, even just a quick prayer at your desk. If we never speak about our faith, how will our colleagues know our actions reflect Jesus?
Be patient
Workplaces can be such manic spaces with colleagues running around like stressed, headless chickens. Recently, we’ve had lots of new team members needing help with training. However, with everyone so anxious, there’s little capacity to help answer their questions, and it’s easy to feel annoyance building when another message pops up. When I see the Teams ‘incoming call from’ icon appear at half four on a Friday, I try to remember how Jesus welcomed interruptions and never claimed he was too busy to help. He responded with gentleness and humility, showing love with his time and speech. Colossians 4:6 tells us to let our speech always be gracious and seasoned with salt. Be the colleague known for kindness, patience and grace.
Be engaged
As Christians, we’re called to be in the world, but not of it. However, when there’s so much workplace obsession with drinking, gossip and drama, it can be tempting to pull away to avoid getting caught in it all. Or, on the flip side, you might adore workplace gossip and can’t wait to chat about that boss again. So, the instinctive reaction is to avoid chatting with them altogether. Better to stay away than be pulled in, right?
No, we need to engage with our colleagues; Jesus lived a relational life, saving people through connection. Instead of withdrawing, shift your mindset towards serving. Can you offer to make the next tea round? Help carry their bags? Support them with the work they’re struggling with? Pray to be salt and light in a place that may feel far from Christ. Aim to replace gossip with encouragement and stir others up with love and a servant heart.
