day 837: Reconciliation

"Be reconciled to God!"

To be reconciled is by definition, "To cause (a person) to accept or be resigned to something not desired: He was reconciled to his fate, to win over to friendliness; cause to become amicable: to reconcile hostile persons; to compose or settle (a quarrel, dispute, etc.); to bring into agreement or harmony; make compatible or consistent: to reconcile differing statements; to reconcile accounts." This definition sounds a lot like the daily activities that happen at work. That could be right, that what we do all day long is reconcile. It's not a bad thing. In fact, those who can reconcile better than others probably end up succeeding over others. Let's consider the alternative. Those who can't reconcile probably don't last long in the workplace. We are better off being able to reconcile with others and we have to be able to bring things together in a way that makes sense to most, if not all, or the organization just won't work. As we look at our teams and our talent, let's pay attention to our collective abilities to reconcile to where the business wants and needs to be.

We are told clearly that we are to be reconciled to God. If you read earlier in 2 Corinthians, Chapter 5, you will find that we are also to be ones who reconcile others to Him. Why are we to do that? Because, Jesus made the greatest reconciliation of all when He reconciled "The world to Himself, no longer counting people's sins against them." What a gift we have been given! Let us today as we close this week reconcile what we have and and do for furthering God's Kingdom here on earth, in our town, on our worksite, in our neighborhoods and in our homes.

Reference: 2 Corinthians, Chapter 5 and 5:20 (New Living Testament)

day 110: No Grudges

Work is full of instances, events and situations where we are wronged and we just can't do anything to set the record straight. One email message with a half truth or a meeting where there isn't enough time to tell the whole story, or sometimes just a boss that doesn't want to hear about it anymore. Any of these can out us in a situation where we are mad at someone else, where we feel stung, and we want to get back at the other person in some shape or fashion. I once worked for a man who used to say, "I don't get mad, I just get even". Oh, did he ever. And usually his revenge would come when the other person was least expecting. Even if we don't feel like we can or want to get even, it is easy to fall into the trap of holding a grudge. We can find ourselves saying to others or to ourselves, "I'll never trust that person again" or, "Shame on them the first time, shame on me the second". See how easy it is to harbor a grudge? I believe there are lots of times that we let the grudges start residing inside of us and before we long we don't even know they are there but they fester and before long our attitude and demeanor to the person on the other end of the grudge begins to become callous and uncaring. We get enough of these inside of us and we can turn into a vindictive person. We are not to carry grudges. Jesus says in Matthew 5:24: "Go and be reconciled to that person." Holding grudges is not what God wants us to do. They drag us down, they alter our moods, and they project to others that our spirit is not loving or caring. If we want to live out our purpose within our work, then we have to guard our hearts and mind from those emotions and feelings that send the wrong message to others. Work does not have to be an eye for an eye. In fact, I would dare say, that in the scheme of the importance of things in life, that holding a grudge against a co-worker, a boss, or a subordinate, pales to the real problems that we have in the bigger life outside of work. So, today, let's see if we can bury the hatchets that we have already created and make time and garner courage for the reconciliation conversations that need to take place. These may be the talks where you just need to tell someone else that you have been holding a grudge and now is the time to let go. If you are asked "why?" or "why now?", then God has opened up a moment for you to share your faith and the implications of what you do when you hear God talking to you. Imagine a grudgeless workplace? Let's start with each of us dropping the grudges we have and see what we can do with our good example.

Reference: Matthew 5:24 (New Living Testament)