By Helen M. Mitchell
"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this.Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." Mark 12:29-31 (NIV)
We know this scripture, delivered as Jesus' response to a teacher of the law as the "Great Commandment." By Jesus' time, the law had become a list of rules: what and what not to do. But Jesus said our most important "to do" is to love God and to love other people well. Life is about devoting our thoughts, words, and deeds to God. It's about who we are to God and to other people, rather than what we do.
I once struggled with health issues that put me in the hospital for a short period of time. I remember laying in bed, so weak and tired I could not think about much except the Lord and the people in my life who loved me and those whom I loved. I had physically gotten to a place where I had no strength to do anything. Nothing mattered except the connection with another person. That experience made me wonder what it would be like if we didn't wait for our co-workers, family and friends to get sick before we showed them the love Jesus was talking about.
Sure, work pressures, deadlines, and the increasing demands on our time and abilities can get the best of us. We can easily default to getting the job done as the priority. We feel good about ourselves because we believe we are working at it with all our heart, as working for the Lord, not for men (Colossians 3:23). But we have not loved our co-workers well. We have limited time to talk to the people at work, and all too often we use it to place demands upon them.
The Bible tells us that if we do amazing things for the Lord-things like speaking in the language of angels, having all knowledge about the mysteries of life, giving everything we own to the poor but if we do not have love, none of that matters (1 Corinthians 13:1-3).
Loving God and others is not about checking off a to-do list. It is not about how much we accomplish. We can say that our work is of the highest quality, never late, innovative, and results-oriented, but if we overlook the people in the process, then our work is hollow.
Love for people at work says, "While I am getting the job done, I am just as interested in you." Love for people at work says, "I don't lose sight of how, why and with whom I am working. The focus is not just on what I do."
Love is a verb that at work looks like patience, kindness, not being envious or selfish or angry or resentful (1 Corinthians 13:4-7). We cannot do this in our own abilities. To truly love the people at work, we first need the love of Christ in us. God is love (1 John 4:8 NIV), and when we spend time with him, we look like him. The Holy Spirit's work within us is expressed as a character trait (Galatians 5:22).
Absolutely God cares about your work and what you do. But he first cares about the people with whom you work. God so loved the world that he gave his son (John 3:16) . . . for friendship and intimacy with himself. The people at work are not a means to an end, but an opportunity to express God's love. Sure, it will cost you time to listen and build a bridge of trust, but as you love the people at work God will love on and through you.
There exists a deep urge in every heart to be in relationship with someone who accepts and delights in us. When the life of Christ in me touches the heart of another their deep need for connection is being met.
"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this.Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." Mark 12:29-31 (NIV)
Until next week...
Discussion Questions:
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Can you think of a time when a co-worker showed interested in you and how you were doing your work rather than in just the work itself? How did that affect you?
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This week take some time to reflect on your conversations with others. How much is about tasks, goals, and outcomes and how much is about slowing down and connecting?
- Who can you encourage this week at work?