Thankfulness for the Provision of Employment

Written by Joy Emery

In this season of Thanksgiving, there are some people in your workforce who are truly thankful for their jobs, there are some who take their employment for granted, and there are some who are not thankful for their employment. Where do you fit in the mix?

During this past year, many of us have watched as the economy has led employers to dismantle the workplace, reorganize to save the company, or eliminate jobs to cut the fat from the organization. Surely those who have previously taken their employment for granted now show a little more concern about the “here today, gone tomorrow” misfortunes of many who have undergone serious changes in their employment status this past year.

Even in a dysfunctional job situation, there are things to stop and be thankful for during this season. Take some time to ponder these things that you can be thankful for in your workplace.

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1. Be thankful for your job. There are many during this past year who have not been fortunate enough to hang onto their jobs. If you are employed, you do have something to celebrate even when there are difficult days in the office. God created us to be working creatures. He first gave Adam and Eve the responsibility of tending the garden and caring for the animals (Genesis 2:15). Work is a gift from God in which we can use our abilities and gifts for usefulness.

2. Be thankful for an income. Money is useful for many things. It is the resource God allows you to use to provide your family with food, clothing, and shelter. The amount of your income is not the issue. The stewardship of that income might be another thing!

We live in a world that continues to discover the new and improved. The “must-have” television of five years ago doesn’t hold a candle to the updated versions that beg to be brought into our homes. Some of us have big “wants.” We want the newest, the biggest, the best of what our world offers. Instead of being filled with a heart of thankfulness for what we already have, Satan has an easy job of convincing us of how unvalued we are based on our meager incomes. Instead of being thankful for being able to pay for food, clothing, and shelter each month; we listen to the lies of Satan and are cheated of a heart of thankfulness for the income we have been given.

3. Be thankful for those with whom you work. The relationships you build at work are of great value – even those relationships that challenge you. My husband recently ran into a coworker from the company he worked for when we first moved to Nashville. The coworker invited him to a monthly workplace reunion of those who formerly worked together. As the coworker mentioned those who attend the reunion luncheon each month, I watched my husband’s face light up as he fondly remembered each of the coworkers that were mentioned. Although now dispersed throughout the city and working for new employers, the relationships and friendships are still highly valued.

You can even be thankful for all those coworkers who challenge you as an employee. God allows those individuals to be there to teach you more about yourself and to train you to deal with some of life’s difficult individuals. You endure. You learn which personality types you are better suited to work with in the future. And you, no doubt, grow as an individual.

4. Be thankful for the way God uses you as a witness or minister in the workplace. You can be thankful for the way God opens your eyes to the need of a Christian influence in your workplace. You can be thankful that you are the one God uses to minister to those in need. In a non-Christian environment, coworkers may not normally honor and remember those who are experiencing significant milestones in their lives (like engagements, marriages, births of babies, and work accomplishments). But with your compassion for people, perhaps you are the one who responds and calls the troops to celebration.

On the other hand, you may also be the one who knows how to respond to coworkers’ needs when they experience heartache, death in the family, or family disaster. Be thankful that you are there to teach others how to minister in times of crisis and that God is using you as a Christian example.

5. Be thankful that God is always with you in the workplace. There are some really tough things that employees have to endure from time to time. There are misunderstandings. There are projects that fail. There are family issues that impact what happens at work. And there are times you just feel lonely. One of the greatest attributes of God is that He is everywhere at all times. He promises to never leave you nor forsake you. No matter how bad the going gets in the workplace, you can keep going because of the God you serve.

In this season of celebration, take some time to consider how fortunate you are in your current place of employment. Use this month to really reflect on your thankfulness for how God provides for your needs through your place of employment.

 

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