Retail Edge Z2015-01-5 Why Faith Matters at Work

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Why Faith Matters at Work

When I was talking to my daughter the other day, she said something that just made my heart melt. She said she couldnt really be happy at work unless she was serving God through it.

You dont have to be a nurse, social worker or minister to serve God at work. You can serve God in whatever line of work you are in. She is a biomedical engineer. I am a retail systems consultant.

That father-daughter talk got me thinking.

When I was 8 years old and in the Cub Scouts, my Cubmaster asked a pretty deep question for a troop of boys our age: €œWhen are you a Cub Scout?€ The answers varied from, €œWhen were at a Cub Scout meeting,€ to €œWhen were at a Cub Scout meeting or a Cub Scout event,€ to €œWhenever we wear our Cub Scout uniform.€

No answer seemed to be what he was looking for. We were trying but he wasnt buying. Perhaps I should tell you that the question came up when we were talking about Cub Scout values; you know,  €œa Cub Scout is always trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, …€

Finally he told us the answer he was looking for: €œYou are a Cub Scout always. Every minute of every day. And these values are something you need to live by every minute of every day.€

This was something Ive never forgotten.

That same €œalways€ kind of thinking applies to faith too, whatever yours may be. Im Catholic. But Im not just Catholic for an hour on Sunday morning; Im Catholic every moment of every day with every breath I take, including when Im working on projects for you.

And, believe it or not, it matters.

As a person of faith, I always strive to do my best when I am working for you. Its not just a job for me, its a vocation. Its my effort, my way, my attempt to use, to the very fullest, the talents, gifts and energy God has given me.

Below in an excerpt from my daily prayer:

Lord, thank you for filling me with faith.

Lord, help me to focus my energies and activities today on those things that matter the most.

Lord, help me to do my absolute best today.

Lord, help me to appreciate all people.

Lord, help me to look for, to see, and to appreciate each and every persons unique gifts.

Lord, help me to seek and find ways to work together with people.

Simply put, doing my best for you and truly caring about what you need is important to me because its part of a higher purpose. It’s why Im here.