We are all living in a new era of intensity every day when we go to work, as a result of the changes that have come during 2020 – the pressure of lockdowns, relationships, a transition to an increasingly virtual workplace.
Along with these Covid-related factors that everyone is experiencing, Christians are facing additional pressures from changing corporate polices on issues such as LGBTQI+. Even your co-workers likely have differing world-views from you What happens when your workplace holds different values from your Biblical ethics?
While too much pressure can lead to an explosion in the workplace, some pressure can actually be a good thing.
Andrew Laird, who works with City Bible Forum in Melbourne and is National Manager of Life@Work, joined Neil Johnson on Vision’s 20Twenty program to share about an initiative aimed at connecting Christian faith with our daily work.
“I think our immediate reaction is to think negatively because they can leave us feeling crushed,” Andrew begins.
“But pressure from a Christian perspective can actually be doing great good in our lives…like when you squeeze an orange and get juice.”
“Having a more rounded perspective on pressure can recognise that the right amount of pressure applied in the right way can actually be a good thing for us.”
“Sometimes when there is a little bit of pressure we can actually produce better results than if there was no pressure.”
“But of course there’s a flipside to that and this is probably what people immediately think of when they think of pressure at work – so many demands, under so much weight and burden that is actually leaves us feeling pretty crushed.”
“As Christians there are pressures to work that are common to all regardless of faith, but there are those increasing pressures that are unique to the Christian person in the workplace because of their faith.”
“Think about how we handle both type of pressures such that they actually produce good in our life, rather than leave us crushed.”
