As a sequel to my two-part series on unhealthy work environments, I want to discuss some common traits of vibrant work cultures. While some may think a healthy workplace is simply the opposite of whatever makes it toxic, the reality is what defines healthy versus unhealthy is not always black and white.
Accordingly, I’m drafting the list below, not only to provide select commentary but also for you to add your thoughts in the comments below.
Let’s jump in…
A healthy, thriving, non-toxic work culture…
1. Fosters a learning environment that gives each employee opportunities to sharpen professional skills and understanding relative to their role. 2. Hires qualified, emotionally mature, high character people to fill leadership and middle management positions. 3. Empowers leaders to guide their teams while developing/maintaining efficient systems and processes/procedures. 4. Promotes an atmosphere of transparency, accountability, and feedback. 5. Prioritizes clear top/down communication and collaboration between departments. 6. Abides by the Jethro Principles and maintains orderly structures. 7. Puts best practices into writing. 8. Understands the value of networking and giving back to the community. 9. Treats, handles, and takes care of all employees equally and fairly. 10. Facilitates positive working relationship/oneās sense of belonging and inspires performance through trust, not fear. 11. Advocates occupational/psychological safety, work/life balance, and mental health. 12. Knows the difference between influence and control in the context of social stewardship. 13. Discourages fraternal vibes, silos, gossip, politics, and all forms of manipulative maneuvering.
Some quick scratch notes on our work identity as seen specifically through Genesis 3:
Scripture:
17 And to Adam he said, āBecause you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, āYou shall not eat of it,ā cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; 18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.ā
20 The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.21 And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them. 22 Then the Lord God said, āBehold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live foreverāā 23 therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. 24 He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.
Scratch Notes
We don’t work because of the fall. We work because God intended it to be a divine partnership!
A primary consequence of original sin as it relates to work are the thorns and thistles, the strife we experience within our occupational calling.
The thorns and thistles can look a number of different ways; however, they often involve the collision of our depravities, the interlocking of our sins and limitations, the lack of justice and fairness in some cases.
While our walk with God can prune us as vessels in the marketplace, we must realize our effectiveness is tied to our vertical reliance, our commitment to being like Christ on the clock.
Again, we were created to work as co-partners with Christ/ambassadors for God’s Kingdom as part of our original design (see Adam’s animal naming assignment in Genesis 2:20-22). Despite the fall, we still have a vocational calling. The problem is the overflow of grace, peace, joy, etc. in our jobs can be significantly harder.
While sin’s entrance into the world reversed the natural current in which we effort upstream, our intentionality to be faithful can become rhythmic as we depend on God. This is largely why discovering Him is so important!
God is with you always, so lean on Him when things aren’t working out. After all, He wants the marketplace to be the market space in which He speaks and moves! Why not cry out to Him when you’ve overwhelmed, when you’re burnt out, when you’re being misused or mistreated? Remember He wants to hear from you, so don’t you dare stay silent in times of trouble.
So last week, Iām revisiting the prodigal parable when it dawns on me: Before there could be a party (v.Ā Luke 15:23) for the son, there first had to be āfashion statementā (v.Ā 22), an opportunity for him to know why he was being celebrated.
Like others, my last read through of Luke 15 wasn’t the first time in which IĀ visualized the father decking his son with boughs of jolly. To be honest, I used to skim over this part as a side detail. āNice! The dad is thrilled his son is back,ā Iād think to myself.
But having marinated in this passage further, I canāt help but wonder if this excerpt is the most profound part of the entire story.
For starters, not only does the passage highlight a daily reality of Godās father-heart of love, but it also emphasizes the progression of Godās ministry of reconciliation, a progression as follows:
God’s confirmation of our identity
God’s admittance of ‘as we are’ in light of who we are
God’s celebration of #1 + #2
Per the list above, part of the revelation for me lies in how easily we skip from #1 to #3 when reading the parable. We remember the fatherās compassion (v.Ā 20) and the party he throws (v.Ā 23), yet we forget how the father loved on purpose in between as evidenced by his desire to adorn his son with specific garments:
The robe representing a fresh outpouring of grace…
The ring representing a symbol of sonship and authorityā¦
The sandals representing a charge for the son to walk afresh and anew (under both coverings)ā¦
ā¦pretty remarkable, right?
Clearly, the father wasnāt content onĀ justĀ running to embrace his son.
Was he overjoyed?Ā Of course!Ā Was he relieved?Ā Absolutely.
However, as much as the father wanted to welcome his son, he wanted even more so to establish him into a renewed sense of identity, place, and purpose! Accordingly, one has much to gain connecting the parable to real life.
āCauseĀ truth is: Weāre ALL prodigals in some capacity. Weāve all stumbled into rough places and tough times at one point or another. Weāve all encountered rude awakenings involving unexpected setbacks, and in some cases, our own depravity.
Yet, when we receive the power of this parable, we ultimately discover how the story doesnāt end with God forgiving us. In fact, itās only the beginning!
For even in the wake of our setbacks, our Papa GodĀ never stops seeking a way to reconcile usĀ as heirs with an inheritance (Romans 8:17), as anointed children blessed with a destiny. Put another way, GodĀ alwaysĀ has aĀ party invitation with your name on it secured in an envelope sealed with grace. And while youāre not forced to open it, if you decide to, youāll not only find directions, but alsoĀ information on how to prepare for it. How awesome is that?
The next time youāre tempted to mentally wallow with the pigs, remember God isnāt satisfied to slap an āI forgive youā onto your wrongdoings, your past hurts and failures, and call it a day.
Moreover, God wants to remind youā¦
ā¦your identity is not lost… ā¦your place at the table is unclaimedā¦ ā¦and oh, by the way, when you choose to change, heaven celebrates. Like a good neighbor, Heāll not only help you arrive at a better place, He, by His Spirit, will help youĀ stayĀ there, too.
My encouragement to you today is to claim the robe, the ring, and the sandals, put on the garments of praise (Isaiah 61:3), and live knowing youāve been fully reinstated into wholeness with God. Sure, there may be days when your self-perceptionĀ seems hopelessly chained to dark, dreary memories, but that doesnāt mean thereās not a way to walk in your sonship!
For me, whenever I find myself in that taxing tug-of-war, Iā¦
Confess Iāve been forgiven and set freeā¦
I declare my identity as a mighty man/son of Godā¦
Recommit my ways unto the Lord.Ā
Abiding by this pathway, I affirm Godās confirmation, admittance, and celebration of who I am and *wallah*…Godās mission of reconciliation is complete in that moment.
Well, folks, I’m out of words today. As always, if you need prayer, a word of encouragement, a dose of stimulating dialogue, Lys and I are here.
When we talk about leaders doing ‘leader’ things, it makes sense those things remain above reproach. I think we can all agree there.
However, given leaders are people too, one must remember their mistakes are just as inevitable. Thus, how leaders handle adversity, setbacks, and errors in judgment is worth discussion.
For instance, in my ministerial role, there are times a protective heart can become overprotective if offense (real or perceived) compromises trust. Knowing my weakness, there are moments when I start to feel anxious and troubleshoot a problem before praying into it.
In these moments, I find the best way to realign and reset isĀ humility.
Now, humility is one of my favorite topics, in part, since Jesus sets the ultimate example, not to mention, when I’m healthy, the trait isn’t difficult to employ. Growing up, I wasnāt always teachable, but once I started integrating humility into relational troubleshooting, maturing in meekness became more seamless, clicking into gear the more I realized I needed forgiveness on a daily basis.
In the case of this post’s inspiration, I overstepped a boundary in my attempt to establish one. Despite good intention, the execution was marred by impulse and entitlement. After processing my lapse in judgment, I realizedā¦
To receive grace, one must first accept mercy.
The best way to do this is to yield our humanity to humility.
Applying these two steps, it wasnāt long before I went to my pastor and set up a meeting to apologize to those I offended. The process was exhausting yet liberating to the extent I allowed myself to be a grace filter. The more humility flowed through transparency, the more offense evolved into peace and understanding.
All that said, my point in sharing this story is:
1. Humility is a precious gift but also a powerful weapon and an exit strategy for those tempted to take reconciliation into their own hands. If pride (or any derivative) is like being locked out of your car, humility is the wire hanger that breaks the jam and gets you back to where you need to be.
2. There will be times when we think weāve got it, only to find weāve lost it. Thankfully, when we receive grace and apply humility, we become more concerned about what is right than who is wrong. By dying to our right to be right, we essentially find the right way to the right path. Thatās the power of humility in action.
As for the month ahead, stay tuned as I plan to revisit my toxic workplace series and unveil some traits of healthy/non-toxic work cultures.
āTil then, stay humble, my friends, and consider praying in the Bible verses below.
So yesterday Iām readingĀ Mark 5Ā and it hits me:Ā Why does Jesus tell the once demon-possessed man to go home to his people and tell them how much the Lord has done for him (v. 19), but gives strict orders to the sleeping girlās family not to let anyone know about her miraculous healing (v. 43)?
At first glance, Jesus seems inconsistent. Why tell one party one thing and contradict it with another?
I meanā¦yeah, Jesus was always yielded to the Father following the Spiritās lead. Fair enough. Still, I canāt help but dive a little deeper. As always, let’s grab a shovel and dig in.
Scripture/Observations
In Mark 5:1, we find Jesus, fresh off of calming a tempest (4:35-41), crossing the lake to Garasenes, a country region lying on the east side of the Sea of Galilee. Upon arrival, a demon-possessed man decked with torn chains coming out from the tombs approaches Jesus (Spooky, right? Talk about the ultimate Halloween Bible read). Once within range, the demon reveals itself as Legion (āfor we are manyā ā v. 9) and begs to be cast into swine. From there, Jesus grants the request and inspires the man to proclaim the good news of what He had done John 4 style.
Now, check out v. 21: āWhen Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around Him while He was by the lake.ā
Like similar encounters, we see life flocking to Jesus upon arrival, perhaps more causal than coincidence given the west side was more populated, not to mention Jesusā reputation had established momentum. Yet, itās here I want to pause to highlight a key contrast.
When Jesus arrives at Gerasenes, how many people come to him? At least one that we know of, right? How about the flip side? If you said ‘large crowd’, youād be correct. Granted, the population difference may seem like a subtle detail; however, when we stack it against proceeding context, we see its connection to part of the answer.
That answer, you ask?
Iāll get to that shortly. For now, we must understand the correlation between Jesus’ intimacy with the Father and how this enabled Him to know the best way to unleash the truth. In the case of Mark 5, Jesus, having already revealed His nature on the west side, knew the best way for the good news to spread at Gerasesnes was for the ex-possessed man to āgo tell it on the mountainā. After all, what occurred at the Decapolis post-healing centered, in part, on Jesusā identity being made known to the masses.
Yet, as I teased earlier, the truth of Jesusā identity was already spreading on the west side. Therefore, itās fair to say Jesusā cross-country trek was just as much about manifesting love through power as it was confirming the truth of who He was (see v. 25-34).
Quick side note: I find it amusing how ācrowdā is mentioned not once, not twice, but five times between v. 21-31. If in fact the author intended the reader to grasp the chaotic backdrop, mission accomplished. The point here, I submit, is less about Jesus having to endure uncomfortable circumstances than it is Him loving in spite of them. Imagine having zero personal space, teaching to the culprits responsible, and being interrupted mid-sermon setting commotions between people crying and wailing loudly (v. 27). Iād probably lose my mind and grey my hair all at once!
But not Jesus. Instead, look at how unruffled he is, first in v. 36 when he says, āDonāt be afraid; just believeā in response to the disciples telling Jairusā people, āWhy bother the teacher anymore?ā and second in v. 39 when he says, āThe child is not dead but asleepā after the entire house thought Jairusā daughter was dead.
Seriously, itās like Jesus is calming a second storm here.
Now, for most, the story ends here, but the truth is Jesus had one more thing to say before peacing out, which in my paraphrasing, goes something like āShhh! What happens here, stays here.ā
But again, why would Jesus demand this? Well, go back to v. 36: āDonāt be afraid; just believe.ā
Throughout this whole chapter, weāve seen three miracles, three transfers of power; however, this doesnāt mean Jesus was on the āpower playā. Rather, Jesus was on a mission to inspire belief in peopleās hearts. Accordingly, we can assume what mattered most to Jesus more than signs, more than miracles was the truth of His Word.
In this context, Jesus knew if He allowed the news to break in synagogue central, it would lead to a major distraction. Remember there was enough pandemonium leading up to Jesusā encounter with the little girl. Any more attention would likely have caused an uproar and reduce Jesus to the role of ringmaster. How fascinating it is to see how timely silence was sometimes part of Jesusā strategy to further the Gospel!
Bottom line: While Jesus was Spirit led in all He said and did, He also discerned the theology of the land and time He was in as He constantly yielded to the Father. As a result, Jesus was able to reach more people through love and teach them with the truth and power of his Word.
