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你和你的工作对神很重要
By: Robert J. Tamasy
或许你是个很有成就的人，周遭的人都对你的表现很认同。或许你也多次升迁，在聚会当中被认为是杰出人士，你墙上的匾额和奖状多到连墙面都摆不下。
或 者你不是我说的那种人。你很认真工作，非常努力地做到最好，但是却很少人认同你。我想我们大部分都是第二种人。当超级巨星、高成就的人、顶尖的执行长受到 肯定时，其他的人则是默默无闻在辛苦地工作着。甚至有时候我们会想自己是不是一个失败者?我们的工作有什么成绩?是否有人会在乎我们手上的工作?在这种时 刻，请记得一件事:当一个没有聚光灯的无名英雄并不可耻，因为通常就是这些无名英雄们在推动这个世界、使每件事在轨道上顺利地运转。
你是 否曾经关节受伤过?或许是扭到膝盖、或指头。我两个都经历过。在我受伤之前，我压根没想过我的左膝盖或是右拇指。但是，当膝盖受伤时，那种痛就像是一根长 针刺进膝盖里、或者当我想用右手转门把的时候，就会注意到我的左膝和右拇指的存在。能正常运作的健康关节不会引起我们的注意，但是受伤的关节会。
想像当一个交响乐团和谐地演奏时，除非是某一种乐器被指定独奏，不然没有一种乐器会特别地突出。如果你在听交响乐时，有特别注意到钢琴或是小提琴的声音，你就知道事情不大对劲了。
这 就是为什么大部分的人在职场上没有经常受到注视，那是因为他们尽到他们的职责而且没有犯错。一个老板就曾经告诉我，如果每一件事情都进行的很顺利的话，员 工就不会听到老板的声音。也许对于需要鼓励的人来说，这不是什么好消息，但是今天的职场的实际状况就是如此。如同一句谚语所说的: “发出轧轧声的轮子才需要润滑油。”
圣经有几句话可以提醒我们：当我们感觉到不被重视或不被感谢时，我们应当如何回应?
第一、我们是伟大计划里的一部分: 虽然我们没有被单独表扬，但要确信自己对整体的成功是很重要的。一个人的心脏没有肺或是大脑是没有办法正常运作的，反之亦然。“ 就如身子是一个，却有许多肢体；... 身子原不是一个肢体，乃是许多肢体。... 若全身是眼，从哪里听声呢？若全身是耳，从哪里闻味呢？ 但如今， 神随自己的意思把肢体俱各安排在身上了。若都是一个肢体，身子在哪里呢？ 但如今肢体是多的，身子却是一个。”(哥林多前书12章12-20节)
第二、承认我们是彼此需要的: 我们贡献给企业，别人的贡献也让我们受益，对此我们要心存感激。“两个人总比一个人好，因为二人劳碌同得美好的果效。若是跌倒，这人可以扶起他的同伴；若是孤身跌倒，没有别人扶起他来，这人就有祸了。再者，二人同睡就都暖和，一人独睡怎能暖和呢？有人攻胜孤身一人，若有二人便能敌挡他；三股合成的绳子不容易折断。”(传道书4章9-12节)
第三、知道我们的工作对神来说很重要: 再用交响乐团的比喻，我们只要知道一件事情，那就是:在伟大的指挥家和唯一的观众－神面前，我们都是独奏者，只演奏给祂听。“无论做什么，都要从心里做，像是给主做的，不是给人做的，因你们知道从主那里必得着基业为赏赐；你们所事奉的乃是主基督。”(歌罗西书3:23-24)
劳 勃．泰默西是领袖资产协会的传播部副部长，这是一个总部在美国乔治亚州亚特兰大的非营利组织。他也是一个有40年经验的退休新闻工作者。他写过一本书“最 佳状态的商业：箴言给今日职场的历久弥新智慧”（Business At Its Best: Timeless Wisdom from Proverbs for Today’s Workplace）。他也与David A. Stoddard合着一本书“导师之心”（The Heart of Mentoring）。要了解更多资讯, 可上网www.leaderslegacy.com 或上他的部落格www.bobtamasy.blogspot.com以及www.bobtamasy.wordpress.com 。
省思 / 讨论题目
- 下面哪个你觉得比较容易？受到实质认同的高成就者？或是持续有效率工作但是没有引起太多注意或是赞赏的人？请解释一下你的答案。
- 你是否曾经觉得自己做的很好但却没有受到重视或是被感谢？当时你的感觉如何？你如何去面对这样的景况？
- 你觉得文章中提到的两个例子：健康的关节不受重视，或是没有特别突出的乐器声时才能奏出和谐的交响乐，是否鼓励了你？请解释一下你的答案。
- 圣经中提到神认同和看重你手中的工作，你如何回应呢?如果你相信圣经的话，你会如何去看待每天的工作呢？
注：若你有圣经且想要看有关此主题的其他经文，请看：箴言27章17节；马太福音5章16节；哥林多前书12章21-31节；以弗所书2章10节；歌罗西书3章17节
YOU – AND YOUR WORK – MATTER TO GOD
By Robert J. Tamasy
Maybe you are a high achiever, the type of person that receives ample recognition from your company for your performance. You have received numerous promotions, are often singled out at professional gatherings, and have more plaques and certificates than your wall can display.
Then again, maybe you are not that person. You work hard, striving to do your best, but recognition – if and when you receive it – is rare. Most of us fit into this second category. While the “superstars,” high performers and top executives receive the acclaim, many others toil in virtual obscurity. Perhaps on occasion we even lapse into a “pity party,” wondering what difference our work makes or whether anyone cares about what we do. At such times, remember one thing: There is no shame in being an unsung hero, one that fails to get noticed. In fact, “unsung heroes” often keep things running smoothly.
Have you ever injured one of your joints – twisted a knee, or sprained a thumb? I have done both. Prior to the injuries, I never thought about my left knee or my right thumb. But when pain in the knee felt like a long needle was sticking in it, or when I attempted the simple act of turning a doorknob with my right hand, I became acutely aware of both. Healthy, functional joints are not supposed to be noticed.
Or consider an orchestra. When being played harmoniously, individual instruments do not stand out unless their musicians have been assigned solos. In the midst of a symphony, if you notice a violin or flute when it is not supposed to stand out, you know something is wrong.
This is one reason many people in the workplace do not receive attention very often. They do their jobs without calling attention to themselves by failure to contribute their part to the overall effort. As one former boss once told me, “If you do not hear from me, assume everything is fine.” That might not seem assuring to those needing occasional encouragement, but that is reality in today’s business and professional world. As the adage goes, squeaking wheels are the ones that get the grease.
So how do we react when we feel underappreciated or undervalued? The Bible offers some suggestions:
Remember we are part of a greater unit. Even when we are not being singled out for exemplary performance, we can be assured we are important to the overall effort. A human heart cannot function without the lungs or brain, and vice versa. “The body is a unit.... If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.... As it is, there are many parts, but one body" (1 Corinthians 12:12-20).
Recognize our need for each other. Just as the overall enterprise needs our contributions, we benefit from and should appreciate the contributions of others. "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work…. Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken" (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12).
Realize your work matters to God. To use the orchestra analogy again, sometimes we must accept playing solely for the Conductor, an audience of one – God. But that is all we need. “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord…you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward” (Colossians 3:23-24).
Robert J. Tamasy is vice president of communications for Leaders Legacy, Inc., a non-profit organization based in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A. A veteran journalist, he has written Tufting Legacies (iUniverse); Business At Its Best: Timeless Wisdom from Proverbs for Today’s Workplace (River City Press); and has coauthored with David A. Stoddard, The Heart of Mentoring (NavPress). For more information, see www.leaderslegacy.com or his blogs, www.bobtamasy.blogspot.com and www.bobtamasy.wordpress.com.
Reflection/Discussion Questions
- Which of the two do you identify with most readily: the high performer that receives substantial recognition and rewards, or the individual that labors steadily and effectively without getting much attention or commendation? Explain your answer.
- Do you ever find yourself in a situation when you believe you have done a good job but receive no expression of gratitude, or perhaps no acknowledgement at all? If so, how do you feel or even react at such times?
- What do you think of the analogies of healthy, functioning joints that we never pay attention to, or musical instruments that when played harmoniously do not stand out in an orchestral performance, to your role in the workplace? Do these comparisons encourage you? Why or why not?
- How do you respond to the biblical promise that your work is recognized and valued by God? If you truly believe that, what difference should it make in how you approach your everyday job responsibilities?
NOTE: If you have a Bible and would like to read more about this subject, consider the following passages: Proverbs 27:17; Matthew 5:16; 1 Corinthians 12:21-31; Ephesians 2:10; Colossians 3:17
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