Thursday, March 28, 2024

FAMILY FUSION: Let your light shine (3)

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The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively. – Bob Marley

IT IS TOUGH for both the Christian employer and employee within the private sector to live wholesome lives in today’s working environment which appears to be tarnished with stains of corruption. Greed and covetousness seem to have no limit; moral integrity is said to be deliberately ignored in a passionate pursuit of money, the love of which is described as the “root of all evil”.

Every Christian who bears the label of Christ should never see working within the private sector as first to get wealth, although that is very important, but should see representing Christ as top priority, by allowing his/her spiritual and moral light to shine in whatever he/she says and does.

Last week I challenged Christian workers within the public sector to allow their spiritual light to shine brilliantly so that God and by extension the country can be well pleased. Today, I am challenging the private sector workers to do the same. I admired my wife who worked within a financial institution for 33 years.

Shortly after entering her place of employment, she was told by one of the employees that she would never survive as a Christian in that institution. She left that workplace three decades after with her Christian light still shining radiantly. She was able to make a major positive impact on many individuals, including the same individual who spoke words of discouragement to her when she started. My wife’s example is one Christ expects every Christian to adopt.

When it comes to Christian employers, each one must never yield to the temptation of trying to cut corners to acquire dishonest gain; but instead as being prudent and upright in his/her dealings with both employees and the general public.

Many years ago my wife and I engaged the services of a contractor to build our house. This man, Sylvester Walker, was a Christian in the truest sense of the word. His Godly light shone brightly. He was truly a Christian who went to church and not a church man who claimed to be a Christian. When he was constructing our house, if he said he was coming to the worksite at 7, he was going to be there for that time.

He would make sure his employees were also there for that time to give a full day’s work for a full day’s pay. He estimated the cost of the house for X amount of money and it was done for that amount. There were no cost overruns. He never bought inferior material to use for the construction of the house nor did he use our funds to assist in building someone else’s structure.

His word and works went hand in glove. He kept us constantly up-to- date on everything pertaining to his operations. For him, the Christ that he served was never to be brought to shame in the eyes of anyone and the burning of his Christian light was not be compromised inside or outside of the church environment. When he died a few months ago his Christian testimony was still firmly intact and the house in which our family resides still stands as a monument of an incredible work done by a Christian employer. What an excellent example of a Christian employer within the private sector allowing his Christian light to shine like the sun within this dark world.

When it comes to the youth, I have always been fascinated with the life of a young man whose impeccable Godly track record as an employee within the private sector stands head and shoulders above many of his counterparts today. Suffering verbal and physical abuse very early in his childhood and not being seen in a positive light by his siblings did not give him a very good emotional start in life.

The fact that this young man struggled with feelings of rejection and not having close friends did not place him very high as a candidate for an employee within the private sector work environment. This God-fearing young man entered the workforce with an uncomfortable history trailing him. Starting at the very bottom of the ladder, he became very diligent and consistent in all that he was asked to do.

He sought to learn more and more about his employer’s business and within a very short time his employer recognised the young man’s potential and promoted him to be one of his supervisors. His diligence and dedication to his work continued. The employers noticed that there was something about this young man that was lacking in the other employees. It was his godly character. His honesty, moral and spiritual integrity, respect for authority, hard and consistent work shone radiantly from his personality. I believe the words of Dwight D. Eisenhower are applicable to him when he said: “The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office.”

This young man, to whom I make reference, was an outstanding example of an excellent employee within the private sector. It was not very long after his first promotion that he was climbing up the corporate ladder again. He was appointed chief operations officer.

As a dedicated Christian you cannot be using your employers’ time to be having your private devotions, breakfast, doing church work, texting or WhatsApping your friends or just idling.

The committed Christian should not engage in such practices. God expects you to be a true representative of his and to reflect the light of His integrity within your place of work.

Our country needs genuine Christians whose spiritual lights shine glowingly within the domain of their respective workplaces so that productivity may become even greater and the country’s economy can flourish.

Haynesley Griffith Marriage and Family Life Consultant griffitharticles@gmail.com

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