No, I'm not advocating office romances. But, returning to work after 3 days on vacation to chaos, disasters, anxious coworkers, clamoring citizens and piles of work, it was refreshing to find this note from Daily Dig in my e-mail box:
"The world today is upside down because there is so very little love in the home, and in family life. We have no time for each other. Everybody is in such a terrible rush, and so anxious…and in the home begins the disruption of the peace of the world." - Mother Theresa
This applies to the workplace as well I think. Especially for me these days. I had a mini-revelation the other day. Yes I'm sick of my job. Yes I'm yearning for bigger and better things that have more of an impact on the world. Yes I'm looking forward to the time when my debts are paid off and I can enter the more formal stages of formation and eventually become a sister. But that doesn't mean I can't bring the charism and spirituality of peacemaking of the groovy sisters to my current situation. God knows there's a need for that in this workplace. Maybe that's part of why I'm in this semi-holding pattern … to help me expand my understanding/ability as a peacemaker and to bring some of God's love to this group of people. It's not just what work you do but how you do it.
So I'm planning to spend some time in prayer over the coming weeks reflecting on ways to do just that. Should hopefully help make it easier to get to work on time too! Thinking of this bureaucratic job as "ministry."
4 comments:
Couldn't agree with you more, Susan... I posted about that particular Daily Dig as well... and my workplace is my home and vice versa, if you know what I mean. My hubby and I work together, so sometimes that disruption of peace carries over... ack, it's hard sometimes...
When I was an office gnome I used to find St. Francis' peace prayer *very* helpful, especially in conflict situations.
. . . and a means of pursuing your vocation (or at least removing that pesky obstacle, debt). Hang in there! It's worth it!
Don't know how much of it is my new attitude. How much of it is the space and perspective of my vacation. How much of it that the person I've had the most conflict with has realized there's no reason for it. Or how much of it has been prayers answered .... BUT things are much better at work. Just had a very positive, peaceful and productive meeting that I've been dreading.
There's something to this I think. Hope I can keep it up.
Thanks for the comments everyone. And Mark, thanks for the encouragement to keep plugging away at the debt. It is a pesky obstacle, but I've learned a lot from it as well. In a weird way it's been freeing.
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