01 Mar Time that I cant claim back – Mar 12

By: Eddy Suki

On the way to a meeting room, my friend jokingly said to me. “We are going to spend 2 hours that we won’t be able to claim back”. Initially I thought my friend was a bit sarcastic, in fact we were in the office and what’s the issue having a meeting anyway?  Well, after the meeting, I realised…. It was true I could not claim back my time. The meeting was very unproductive due to people came late, no meeting agenda and more than one conversation in the meeting. If you have been into one of these meetings, you will know what I am talking about and how frustrating it is.

In 1 Corinthians 9: 24-27, Apostle Paul speaks about how an athlete exercises self-control and discipline so they can receive the “the price”. Discipline derives from a routine, habit and finally becomes a character.

As a believer, a discipline character should be rooted and reflected not only in our spiritual but also professional life. Our behaviours, languages and work ethics will be so different compare to our colleagues. The concept of “obey with fear and trembling”, “sincere heart as we would to Christ” and “not as people pleasers” (Ephesians 6:5-8) will be noticed by all the people we work with.

Is the “good values” will be accepted and honoured? Well, not necessarily. If we work long enough, we must have heard a term “you make us look bad”. Why? Because by being a “light” we have inadvertently expose some of the “darkness” in our workplace. Then, do we need to “compromise” to ensure the job is secured? Definitely not, since we live not by “bread” but by the “Word” (Matthew  4:4) and by applying the values, we have put God’s kingdom first in our work place (Matthew 6:33).

Discipline character does not happen overnight. It does take time, more importantly it does need to start somewhere. What I mean is, you need to start NOW not tomorrow. It is beneficial to start from small matters, such as:

–       Time

Come to work on time no matter how senior your position in the company. The more senior you are then the more you should lead by example. It applies to meeting, training and other appointments.

–       Workload

Prioritise your works and appointments to ensure your workload is manageable.

–       Deadlines

Ensure all your work deadlines are met. If you are unsure, advise the related parties courteously.

–       Word

Never say bad things about your superior nor your colleagues. “Never burn the bridges”.

–       Resources

Don’t “cheat” by taking longer lunch, use working hours for chatting, facebook-ing, twitter-ing or non-work related matters.

Without the value, not only our professional career will be stagnant but also our spiritual life. Lots of time will be wasted, resources will be untouched and your future will look uncertain. Remember, one day we will stand before our God and judged by all the resources, time and talents that He has entrusted to us.

Start today, make commitment to renew our mind (Romans 12:2) and with the help of Holy Spirit, I believe you will start see a difference in your life, spiritually and professionally.