The working woman

“And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.”

Colossians 3:23-24 [KJV]

Beach

“Do you live to work or work to live?”

I once read an article claiming every employee fits into one of these two groups: either they are career-focused, or they work merely to earn money to fund the life they care about.

Across my working life, I’ve been in either category at different times. Over the last decade, I’ve spent five years in retail (three while studying), three years in office roles, almost two years in Bible College and held a handful of short-term roles such as running a market stall, writing, vote counting and gardening.

Through it all, I’ve been learning––slowly and imperfectly––more of what it means to serve the Lord in all areas of life, including the workplace. Sometimes I’ve failed. There are many things to consider—we need the right priorities, rewards, attitude, responses, and interactions in the workplace. There are various ways to earn income, and many women do much unpaid work, but let’s discuss these factors in the context of a ‘traditional’ physical, employer/employee workplace.

Firstly, a woman needs to have the right priorities in life. Upfront, we each need to ask ourselves, should I (specifically me, not women in general) be in paid employment outside the home? The Bible distinguishes between working diligently and paid employment. We’re all commanded to be diligent (Colossians 3:23), and the Proverbs 31 wife was praised for both (home-based) work that earnt her an income and the challenging, unpaid work of household management. Men are commanded to provide for their families (1 Timothy 5:8), but married women instead are instructed to be keepers at home (Titus 2:5) and prioritise serving their husband and children (if they have any) over secular employment. Single women without children don’t have these responsibilities, and are therefore free to pursue paid employment—within the bounds of God’s will for them. Two extremes must be avoided: some single women are too lazy to ‘bother’ with finding and keeping a job. Others turn a career into an idol, and pursue self-fulfilment or ambition rather than Christ (Matthew 6:33). Regardless of our natural inclinations or ingrained thinking, all women need to surrender this area of their lives to the Lord and align themselves with His priorities.

Secondly, workplaces have rightful benefits. The labourer is worthy of his hire (1 Timothy 5:18, Luke 10:7) and employment is based on the idea of mutual benefit to employer and employee. While there are plenty of debates about who benefits the most in a specific workplace, the basic concept of receiving a fair wage in exchange for your time, effort and skills is Biblical (see, for example, Jeremiah 22:13, 1 Timothy 5:18, James 5:4, Colossians 4:1). But employment has many other non-financial benefits. God can use it as a setting to develop more Christ-like character. We learn to endure the tough days, to fulfil responsibilities, to deny the distractions of the flesh, to love and forgive that frustrating workmate, to handle challenges graciously, to be thankful rather than complaining, how to be light in a dark workplace, and to rely on God for His strength. Perhaps you may even have the privilege of being able to share the Gospel with a work colleague. And yes, we learn (or should learn!) even through our failures along the way.

Because thirdly, another thing we need to have right is our attitude towards our workplace. I read this quote recently by a Christian woman about the workplace, “There are certain tasks I enjoy naturally, and others which I must enjoy supernaturally.” I’ve worked with some people over the years who are master complainers. They are always complaining about the boss, the work, the customers or clients, the software in use, the sunlight through the window, the travel to and from work, someone microwaving tuna in the staff kitchen, the chair they sit in – anything that exists can be complained about. Not content with just robbing others of joy and contentment, they spread their unthankfulness ‘germs’ far and wide. And unless we have good hygiene practices (!) and are constantly purifying our minds through the Word of God, prayer, thankfulness, and ongoing surrender to God’s will, we’ll catch the virus too. When God places us in a workplace, regardless of how many issues are there, He will give us all the resources we need to serve Him and others gladly (Psalm 100:2), humbly (Acts 20:19), diligently (Romans 12:11) and in a way that honours Him (Colossians 3:23-24).

The right attitude in the workplace leads to fourthly, the right response to challenges. In addition to being thankful, we should be teachable. Workplaces, like life, have both good moments and painful ones. Sometimes pain comes through our own failures—a colleague reacts poorly to something we mishandled, a boss reprimands us for failing to meet a standard, or a deadline is missed because we overestimated our ability. When rebuked, pride often responds with resentment (“They don’t appreciate me”), self-righteousness (“I work harder than so-and-so”), and blame shifting (“It’s all her fault”). It takes Christ’s all-sufficient grace (2 Corinthians 12:9) to take responsibility, ask for feedback, and make necessary changes—all with the right attitude towards the workplace and the person who rebuked us. However, some painful situations are outside our control. Economic downturns cause job losses. A key staff member leaves. A difficult-to-work-with person is rostered into your team. A boss or government changes priorities and months of work is shelved overnight. A manager sets unreasonable deadlines. A work colleague is hostile towards you because you’re a Christian. First Peter 2:20 says, “For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.” God is sovereign, and when we trust Him, we will find His will, however difficult it seems in the moment, to be good, acceptable and perfect (Romans 8:28, 12:1-2).

Lastly, let’s talk about right interactions with others in the workplace. This is a huge topic, so here are only a few basic points. Every believer needs to carefully consider how to guard her emotional and physical purity in the workplace when working with men. Many workplace trends are ungodly, but modern office spaces can help in this area, with things such as open-plan offices, glass-walled meeting rooms, and the ability to video-call rather than meet one-on-one in person with male colleagues. Godly workplaces are a tremendous blessing. But most workplaces are not godly, and we’re constantly challenged to relate to non-Christian colleagues and clients without becoming spotted by the world’s impurity (James 1:27). How then do you work with someone who regularly takes the Lord’s name in vain, boasts about weekend partying, and has opposite views on faith and morality? How do you be a witness, and even share the Gospel, while remembering your employer hired you to work, not preach? How much you can share directly during work hours depends on the nature of your job. Some roles prohibit much non-work conversation. Some roles you’ll largely work by yourself. Other jobs that centre around hands-on labour allow freedom for all sorts of conversations while you work. Sometimes you’ll have opportunities to chat during breaks. Other jobs you have breaks by yourself or need to avoid the lunchroom because of the filth that is discussed there. Whatever your setting, you need God’s wisdom from above about when to speak, what to say and how much to say (Psalm 141:3).

We need to remember God’s standard in life, including the workplace is, “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.”