Off To Work We Go

Work Discernment

What is God’s expectation of us in work?

What is the nature of military culture in a work setting?

What does it mean to lead within a military context?

God’s Expectations

Proverbs 24:30–34 NIV

I went past the field of a sluggard, past the vineyard of someone who has no sense; thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins. I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw: A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man.

Proverbs

Very simply, God expects us to apply ourselves to our work.

The lazy sluggard, as Scripture refers to it, whose fields are full of thorns and weeds is not doing the Kingdom of God in favors in its witness.

Question: How many of you have ever worked with a person whose presence made the job more difficult due to neglect, laziness, and an unwillingness to strive toward excellence?

I’m sure none of those people were her at Holloman...

Nothing annoys me more personally, than a lazy Christian.

Loci Theologici [Melanchthon’s Text]

Thus the lazy and wasteful are all thieves, for unless they take from someone else they cannot sustain their laziness and costly habits.

What God expects of us primarily as believers is that we will work, that we will be honest, and that we will do all we can to work toward the end of whatever or whoever we work for.

Colossians 3:23–24 NIV

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

Military Work

Two types of struggles I see

Airman who struggle to understand military work culture

Leaders who wrestle with how to be human while maintaining appropriate boundaries.

Airmen Struggling With Culture

Sitting in my office one day, and something dawned on me…I am at a counseling disadvantage when it comes to many of the Airmen I speak with.

Many of them grew up with stability…Same home, same town, same parents, same grandparents.

I grew up moving every three years.

Homesickness is something I never experienced!

Couple things for new Airmen to understand about military culture

It’s never going to feel quite like home

Many of you struggle because all the relationships seem temporary, and in a way, they are.

The work environment is intentionally emotionally distant

Your role is to learn how to develop professional and personal resiliency skills in that environment

Ways to do that

Don’t make criticism personal

Develop a strong sense of your importance to the mission

Learn, grow, and then lead

Leaders and Boundaries

Being a Christian leader is a delicate balance between displaying Christian love, while maintaining appropriate leadership boundaries.

Eph 4:29-

Ephesians 4:29–32 NIV

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Our template is to be helpful, to build others up, to be compassionate, and to be forgiving.

Yes, we can even all be those things in the context of the military.

Colin Powell, Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and former Secretary of State - “You can never err by treating everyone in the building with respect, thoughtfulness and a kind word.”

Henry Cloud: Boundaries For Leaders - As a leader, you cannot allow a pattern of fear and avoidance to rule you. If you are afraid of making a mistake, you will never make bold moves. If you are afraid of upsetting or disappointing people, you will never be able to deal with underperforming employees. As a leader, you have to act (or not act), despite the fear but never because of it.

Chemnitz, Martin, and Jacob A. O. Preus. Loci Theologici. electronic ed. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1999. Print.

All levels

SrA to SSgt, Lt to Capt - I don’t want to feel different than my peers.

Cloud, Henry. Boundaries for Leaders: Results, Relationships, and Being Ridiculously in Charge (Kindle Locations 2835-2837). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.

They aren’t your peers.

There is no Christian way to get the mission accomplished.

There is no Christian way to give out disciplinary paperwork.

There are only jobs that have to be done.

Question I increasingly lead with: What’s your job? Do that job to the best of your abilities, and you’re honoring God.

Closing

Three things - Work hard, learn military culture, learn to lead others with kindness but firmness

The lazy Christian has his mouth full of complaints, when the active Christian has his heart full of comforts.

The lazy Christian has his mouth full of complaints, when the active Christian has his heart full of comforts.

Ritzema, Elliot, and Elizabeth Vince, eds. 300 Quotations for Preachers from the Puritans. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2013. Print. Pastorum Series.