Relationships/How to be a Christian at work

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I have noticed as I spend more time talking to people in the workplace who are Christians that they have a difficult time feeling like they can be who they are in all that they do. They feel weird trying to witness to people and feel like they should not be trying to convert people during work hours. I can understand their fear and apprehension. It can often be seen as a conflict of interest to do such things and it can make people feel uncomfortable. As I was thinking about this though, I realized that this is not how Jesus approached things. Jesus did not have some tract that he read nor did he feel compelled to share some testimony about when he was saved. Instead Jesus just engaged people as they were, where they were and in the context of their work. He did not say that if you do not accept me now you will burn in hell forever. He talked to people. He loved them no matter who they were. And Jesus provided the example of how to be a Christian in the midst of what he did which was teach. I think that sometimes we forget that Jesus was a Rabbi or teacher, that what he did first was teach people and his disciples and in the midst of teaching, he did things to save people not by some grand tract or story, but in the midst of his day by his actions. So what does this mean for us? I think as I reflect on this that there are a few take-a-ways that I have gleaned from Jesus' encounters with others.

1. When we are at work the way we act is more of a witness to people than the words or tracts that we say.

2. Being like Jesus means that we love and care for all of our coworkers regardless of their beliefs or views and we care for them in the context of their lives and not ours.

3. You can witness to people in the work that you do. Each interaction you have whether it is with coworkers or customers can show someone the truth of Jesus Christ in your life.

What are some things you do to live out your faith in the work that you do?

Engagement

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One of the things that I have noticed is that it is a lot easier for me to stay engaged with my youngest children.  I am not sure if it is because they do not care if I am busy or not and rush at me or if it is the way I feel revitalized when I am with them.  It paying attention to this, I have noticed that I do not give the same amount of attention to my wife and oldest son.  I notice with them I tend to multitask and that I do not give them my undivided attention.  So I am trying to be more aware of situations were I am not giving my full and undivided attention to my wife and oldest son.  Here are some of the things that I am trying to do to be a better listener and to pay attention to them more.

1.  Put down the phone.  My wife has had accused me of have my phone glued to my hand.  While I try and deny this, she is right.  I have a tendency to pay to much attention to my phone apps and not my wife.

2.  Mute the TV.  We are in the middle of baseball season and if the Braves are playing, I try to have the game on in the background.  This also causes me to look at the TV a lot and not pay attention to wife and son.

3.  Listen first, speak second.  This is not easy for me.  I guess you could say that I am a type A, ENTJ personality and it is hard for me to do this.  I try to, as best as I can, to listen (no I don't do it well all the time, but I am trying)

4.  Make eye contact.  I have a tendency to look around, walk away while talking to do something, or wonder. This can make conversation difficult.  So, I am trying to make eye contact.

5.  Ask for clarification.  It could just be me or it could be all teenagers, but my son talks in guttural sounds and grunts.  While he calls this a language, I don't necessarily translate it that way.  In the past, I would just act like I knew what it was, but now I ask for clarification.  I find that this is helpful and makes it clear that I truly understand what he is talking about.

These are just some of the things that I am doing.  It is not perfect, but it is an attempt to try and be a better father and husband.  What are some of the things you do to keep engaged with family.