My Bible readings over the last several days have included parts of the first book of Samuel. In chapter 15, Samuel tells Saul that he (Saul) has been chosen as king of Israel and that God had a mission for him. Saul doesn't perform the mission exactly as it was given to him and when Samuel confronts him Saul tries to give a good excuse to make up for it.
Samuel doesn't buy it and Saul admits that he listened to the people "because I feared the people and obeyed their voice."
Boy, how many times has that happened to us at work? We know what's right and yet we give in to the pressure we feel from others.
This can happen when someone tells an inappropriate joke and we smile or laugh politely because we figure it's easier to "go along to get along" rather than call the person on their inappropriate behavior.
Or when as leaders who need to share some new policy we blame "them" or "management" for the change because we want to come across as our employees' friend rather than as the member of management that we are.
But being a person of faith calls us to live that faith every single minute of every single day. Dealing with the strain of being IN the world but not OF the world is part of that. I'm not saying we're better than others -- far from it. I'm saying that we have to somehow put our faith into action while navigating our roles and relationships within this world we move in.
It's not easy.
How do you find the strength to keep the faith and put your actions in sync with your beliefs?
Comments