"Keep alert and pray.
Otherwise temptation will overpower you."
Even though they are technically called Emergency Evacuation Drills we
still call them by the name we learned long ago; Fire Drills. We've all
been through them at work at some point or another. Just when we are in
the middle of an important phone call or meeting, the alarm sounds and
out we go to stand on the lawn or concrete and wait for the evacuation
manager and the floor wardens to clear the building and allow us back in
when the "all clear" is sounded. It always seems like such a pain and a
bit of a waste of time, even though in the real one, we all want to be
prepared and out the door pronto. Because we all have been through the
drills many times, we have come to call those assignments and requests
that come to us in the last moment or the least acceptable time and
don't end up producing anything of substance, as another "fire drill".
There is nothing more precious that we have at work than our time so
when someone wastes it with an unnecessary request it can take us all
the way to angry and make us quite resentful. Which makes it all the
more important that we not waste others time either. We have many
choices each day when we ask for time from others. Before each request
we should evaluate to ensure that what we are asking for will make a
difference, yield a needed result, and most importantly, be the best use
of the other person's time. No one like a fire drill exercise. All
that said, the real evacuation and fire drills are to keep all of us on
our toes and for us to be alert at all times so that we can be ready and
prepared if there is an emergency. This is not a bad lesson in life as
well. There are certain dangers in life, both literally and
figuratively that we must always be ready for and prepared to avoid.
Mark tells us in his gospel that we must always, "Keep alert and pray.
Otherwise temptation will overpower you." Certainly at work we are faced
daily with temptations that don't show up in other parts of our lives
and we compartmentalize them because they are on the job, away from
home, and away from others who know us. The danger is there that we
will begin to live two lives...one who we are at work and the other who
we are away from the job. God tells us how to avoid this by staying
alert in prayer. Mark's words go on to say that we need to do this
because, "For though the spirit is willing enough, the body is weak".
Today, you will face temptations on the job. These temptations are
personal to you. Think of them as the needed fire drill, not the time
wasting ones, to keep you on your toes and alert. Use these "fire
drills" as productive outcomes to remove those lingering temptations
before the real emergency hits. Not far from your office, down the hall
or around the corner, is a red box with a handle on it. When the
emergency comes that is where you go to sound the alarm. When you see
the red box today, stop and say a prayer to God to keep you alert
spiritually too and cognizant of the temptations that you face and to
help you overcome each and everyone of them today. This is a "fire
drill" that is actually productive and good to have every day.
Reference: Mark 14:38 (New Living Testament)
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