I Like My Job

I do.  I have good days and long days..frustrating and rewarding days.  But I do like my job.  And today I’m feeling particularly thankful for it, so I felt like sharing a little bit about it.

Today is “Take Your Child to Work Day” here at FoMoCo.  There are little “mini-me’s” running rampant around our offices.  I just love the sight of an eight year old boy matching his father in blue collared shirt and khaki pants.  There are tons of things for the kids to do today – vehicles on display for them to climb all over, liquid nitrogen ice-cream making, and computers galore to “play” on.  There were even kids asking questions during our Town Hall meeting with the CEO, Mullaly.  It was awesome.  I’m very appreciative that FoMoCo stresses work/life balance, and recognizes the value in having a healthy family.  From alternative schedules, paid maternity leave, to events like this…I’m just so thankful. 

And I’m getting the opportunity to do whatever I want (within reason) in this company for two years before I settle down.  Man…they don’t really teach you all that much in engineering school.  You learn how to learn.  And I am learning a whole lot now that I’m working full time.  I’m really thankful that I work on a team of engineers who are willing to walk me through all the processes and things that I have to do to do my job.  I’m learning to speak in acronyms…I feel a part of a team.  I have a cube and a nameplate and Bible verses on my “walls”.  I can read Biblegateway.com when I have a few minutes of down time.  It’s awesome.

I’m thankful, too, that God has put me at this company to meet needs..and not just my (financial, thinking) needs.  I’m talking about the needs of other people.  This work is stressful, especially in our industry during economic and competitive times such as these.  I can be used as a light, a witness to the God who is more important than getting tooling ready for tryout on time.  I can be positive.  I can be compassionate.  I can work hard and lighten someone elses workload.  I am a missionary, I know the Gospel, I have the Truth inside of me, written on my heart.  God can use me at this company. 

Whoa…what a thought.  God can use me here.

Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by way of eye service, as people-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man…  Ephesians 6:5-7, posted on my wall

I like my job.

Missing: Voice

Due to a variety of circumstances converging together…I’ve lost my voice. I don’t know where it went. The squeaky sound that has replaced it is barely passable for speaking. As a result, I’m much quieter. It’s provoked some interesting thoughts about communication. I’d like to throw them out there for consideration:

What is worth speaking?

Are there important silences I run over with words?

How can I better communicate nonverbally?

What if I could only listen? Could I still encourage? Could I still show love?

When I do speak, am I heard?

Singing without sound…what does that look like?

So, yeah, just some random thoughts. Pick one (or two..) and let me know what you think.

Unrest and M&Ms

I am not rested unless I spend time with God every day.  I’ll sleep through alarm clocks. I’ll be generally grumpy, tired, and unsettled all day, regardless of how much sleep I actually get.  This is God’s way of getting my attention, and I’ve only recently made the connection between the God time – sleep time – tired factor . 

Moses said to the LORD, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.”

The LORD replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.” 

Exodus 33:12-15

I don’t want to lead anything, I don’t want to go anywhere, without Him.

______________________________________

So I spent some quality time with my creator, and regained focus.  On my way home from church I stopped at one of the markets on the way.  I didn’t know at the time, but I had an appointment with a woman named Pamela.  She asked me for change on my way in.  I’m normaly cashless, told her so, and went into the store to buy what I needed.  Persistant Pamela asked me again when I exited, even asking me to check my car. 

“What does she need?”  So I asked her.  She said she needed some pennies for lunchmeat and cheese to eat.  “That I can do..not the pennies, but the food.”  We went inside, and I got her food and a drink.  She watied outside while I checked out.  In perhaps a childish gesture of love, I added a bag of m&ms to the meager dinner.   I prayed with her outside of the store, asked God to protect her, help her find a safe place to sleep, and help her know who He is.  She needed Jesus more than the food.  I hope she saw Him in me. 

And I hope she likes chocolate.

 

A Mere Professor

Already challenged today, and it’s not even noon yet. 

Choosing professors wisely is essential in college.  They have the ability to make or break your educational experience.  Though out of school for over a year, painful memories remain of the semester of Statistics I went through, actually passing the class with a 40%.  Whoa nellie.  After that, I never turned down advice on choosing professors.

Merriam-Webster’s first definition of professor is “one that professes, avows, or declares” something.   And a good general definition of profess is: “to declare or admit openly or freely”.  So a professor is someone who declares something openly.  In academia, professors have doctorate degrees, and declare mathematical theorems or elements in classical British literature.  But you don’t have to work at a university to be a professor.  In fact, you most likely are one.

For instance, I profess knowledge of materials science.  I profess love for my husband.  I profess affection for the Green Bay Packers.  And I profress Christ as the Son of God.  I’ll declare these things freely in any setting.  That makes me a professor.  Ok, so what?

Well, I was reading today in Judges 3, and was intrigued by vs. 1-7.  The nations which remained after Israel was to have driven them all out of the promised land were used by God to test his people.  I clicked over to the Matthew Henry commentary available in youversion.com, and was hit between the eyes by what he had to say about this:

Temptations and trials detect the wickedness of the hearts of sinners; and strengthen the graces of believers in their daily conflict with Satan, sin, and this evil world. They must live in this world, but they are not of it, and are forbidden to conform to it. This marks the difference between the followers of Christ and mere professors. The friendship of the world is more fatal than its enmity; the latter can only kill the body, but the former murders many precious souls.

Go back and read that again.  (I had to.)

Professor is a title I’ve always associated with the well educated.  A title of respect and privilege.  But today the Holy Spirit as asked me to examine myself.  Am I a “mere professor” of Christ…?  Does he get my lip-service only?  Do I have the appearance of Biblical education, but not a heart devoted to Christ?  This professor is not someone to be respected.   Being a “mere professor” of Christ makes you a “mere hypocrite” (if there is such a thing). 

Ick.

Yeah.  That has been me.  Praise God for his grace and forgiveness. 

Seeking the world’s enmity.   Following Christ. 

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are-yet was without sin.  Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.  Hebrews 4:14-16

Isaiah 55: 5 of 13

Surely you will summon nations you know not,
and nations that do not know you will hasten to you,
because of the LORD your God,
the Holy One of Israel,
for he has endowed you with splendor.” Isaiah 55:5

Here’s a quick thought for this verse….

Isaiah 55: 4 of 13

See, I have made him [David] a witness to the peoples,
       a leader and commander of the peoples.  Isaiah 55:4

In the previous verse the Lord speaks of a covenant of love with David.  He makes David a king, and in so doing calls him to many things.  David is a witness, a leader and a commander of his people.

David tells of God’s glory, a living testimony of forgivness, triumph and the power of God.  God calls me to be a witness as well.  I can testify to God’s power by what he has done and continues to do in my life.  I can be an encourager of men, and a glorifyer of God. 

David leads God’s people as a king, providing vision and direction.  I need to lead those God has placed and will place under me with care as well.  I need to be seeking God constantly for direction and vision for my ministry, whether is seems “kingly” or not.

David is a commander of his people.  He fights with them, battles battles with them, and wins them victories.  I am called to this as well, though my battlefield is often the unseen.  I live in a spiritual warzone, and thought the effects are often invisible, they are real in every other sense of the word.  I must wake every day with that understanding.

David was after the heart of God.  Am I? 

Are you?