Devastating Experience In Your Job Ministry?

bobinfaith

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Hello brothers and sisters;

Are you still actively working? Do you consider your job a ministry?

For many years I used to separate my job from the ministry until one year I experience the lowest point in my career that opened my eyes.

I worked for a company in the Project Managers Department. On the accounting end I did job costing and profit margins. One day I was called in a meeting with the president, his assistant and my manager. We had a large piece of material that never got used and laid in inventory for some time. I was assigned to contact the manufacturing company and tell them a "little lie" in hopes we could send it back and get a credit.

I didn't say anything at first and needed it to sink in. I decided as a Christian I could not sin, no matter how tiny or large, and when my manager followed up with me, I made it clear I could not lie for the company.

I had just received a great review of my work and a raise in salary. But when my refusal to lie for the company escalated to my manager, vice president, they had me meet with Human Resources and made a decision to demote me and take back my raise in salary. After the meeting I remember just sitting there in disbelief while they all left the conference room.

At the next Sunday Worship service I went before the congregation and couldn't help but break down and confess what happened at my job. The next week I submitted my two week notice.

I could have gone along with lying for my employer, received a pat on the back and enjoy my promotion and salary raise. But my conviction for a tiny lie was so strong that I chose to trust God. After my last day at this company I was out of work for a whole month and didn't qualify for unemployment because I chose to resign.

I got ahold of my bearings and remember at Sunday school one of the elders, looked at me in the eyes and encouraged me, "Bob, the person responsible (vice president) for initiating your demotion, because you wouldn't lie, will always remember the position you took. He knows you were a Christian."

I'm a forward thinking chap. So I flooded the market with my resume and after a handful of interviews, I received a call from a business that would hire me in my first ever manager's position. Praise the Lord!

This was a tough experience that brought me to the lowest point in my career. But this also led me to see that the church and my personal career go hand in hand. My job was a ministry.

Do you have a story to tell in your job career, and, do you view this as a ministry?

God bless you all and thank you for reading my story.
 
Thanks for sharing Bob.
I'm hearing a lot of shenanigans go on in the retail world too from my work in the bookshop. Books are either firm sale (that means you are stuck with them and can't send them back, even if they don't sell) or sale or return. If they aren't sold within a certain time frame you can send them back. I'm sure it would have been quite tempting over lockdown to say well we couldn't even open so can we hold on the books for longer or something like that. One thing is you could lie - or you can just be honest and hope the supplier understands.

People seem to be shocked when people are honest for some strange reason. I'm always honest and upfront. I'm not gonna sneak around and try and put one over on people. Been there, done that, got convicted lol.

At the bookshop we now have a faith section where there wasn't one before. I get to order in Bibles so its fun.

Another example
I refused to take a job if it involved spraying poison on plants.
It would have paid better than the other one but I also said I wouldn't spray poison in a retirement village, in which the supervisor wanted me to do without even wearing mask or gloves.

So for taking a stand they got all bullying and tried to trip me up at any opportunity, until I said I would leave.

I was out of work for a while but then got into creating a garden radio programme, and continue to garden without spraying poison or using chemicals.

So yes totally understand where you coming from Bob. To be christian outside of church is strange for some as lots of people just expect you to run with the world when you outside of church. Your job is your ministry.
 
What a testimony! Not all who bear the name of Christ would have the courage to stand like that. Absolutely incredible!

I agree, a great testimony. My last job working for an employer, I was a marginal Christian at that time. When asked to lie I hesitated a little, but lied for my employer. Once you start though it's expected any time they ask.

When working for myself, I treated all my customers as my boss. I wouldn't lie to them about there situations because it would have been a great disservice to both of us. The IRS was technically my boss as well and I worked hard to document all deductions that I claimed for my clients as well as documenting my due diligence in reviewing financial records for undocumented income and inappropriate expenses. Having worked at a tax resolution office I knew full well what an IRS audit could be like.

Was it a ministry to me? Only in the sense of caring about what I was doing for each client and trying to help them understand there tax situation.

cp
 
I agree, a great testimony. My last job working for an employer, I was a marginal Christian at that time. When asked to lie I hesitated a little, but lied for my employer. Once you start though it's expected any time they ask.

When working for myself, I treated all my customers as my boss. I wouldn't lie to them about there situations because it would have been a great disservice to both of us. The IRS was technically my boss as well and I worked hard to document all deductions that I claimed for my clients as well as documenting my due diligence in reviewing financial records for undocumented income and inappropriate expenses. Having worked at a tax resolution office I knew full well what an IRS audit could be like.

Was it a ministry to me? Only in the sense of caring about what I was doing for each client and trying to help them understand there tax situation.

cp
You and Bob are proof there are still good people in the world. It's just too bad good people don't wear signs. :D
 
Hello brothers and sisters;

Are you still actively working? Do you consider your job a ministry?

For many years I used to separate my job from the ministry until one year I experience the lowest point in my career that opened my eyes.

I worked for a company in the Project Managers Department. On the accounting end I did job costing and profit margins. One day I was called in a meeting with the president, his assistant and my manager. We had a large piece of material that never got used and laid in inventory for some time. I was assigned to contact the manufacturing company and tell them a "little lie" in hopes we could send it back and get a credit.

I didn't say anything at first and needed it to sink in. I decided as a Christian I could not sin, no matter how tiny or large, and when my manager followed up with me, I made it clear I could not lie for the company.

I had just received a great review of my work and a raise in salary. But when my refusal to lie for the company escalated to my manager, vice president, they had me meet with Human Resources and made a decision to demote me and take back my raise in salary. After the meeting I remember just sitting there in disbelief while they all left the conference room.

At the next Sunday Worship service I went before the congregation and couldn't help but break down and confess what happened at my job. The next week I submitted my two week notice.

I could have gone along with lying for my employer, received a pat on the back and enjoy my promotion and salary raise. But my conviction for a tiny lie was so strong that I chose to trust God. After my last day at this company I was out of work for a whole month and didn't qualify for unemployment because I chose to resign.

I got ahold of my bearings and remember at Sunday school one of the elders, looked at me in the eyes and encouraged me, "Bob, the person responsible (vice president) for initiating your demotion, because you wouldn't lie, will always remember the position you took. He knows you were a Christian."

I'm a forward thinking chap. So I flooded the market with my resume and after a handful of interviews, I received a call from a business that would hire me in my first ever manager's position. Praise the Lord!

This was a tough experience that brought me to the lowest point in my career. But this also led me to see that the church and my personal career go hand in hand. My job was a ministry.

Do you have a story to tell in your job career, and, do you view this as a ministry?

God bless you all and thank you for reading my story.

Been there and done that as well my friend! I have two degrees and my 1st one was Business Administration. I spent 30 years in middle management with Eckerd Drugs which is now CVS. During that time I was able to obtain my second degree and Masters in Divinity.

What I lived in and saw was much like what you described. I worked for and was hired by the owner, Mr. Jack Eckerd and working for him was like working on the Star Trek movie Enterprise. He was Captain Kirk and everything worked like clock work. Everything was above board and legal and done for the benefit of all employees.

When he retired and turned the company over to his son-in law......my world changed and it became a dog eat dog mentality. It was hook and crook and kill your friends before he killed you. I thank God every day that HE opened to doors of ministry for me and HE Himself placed me in a church that was prepared for me.

For the last 40 years we have had NO conflicts, no wars, no knife wounds in my back and even when I tried to retire (Twice) they threw more money at me to stay.
 
I had a job writing CVs for people, and the Christian boss considered that was a ministry, even though the unemployed clients had to pay hundreds of dollars for them.
I wasn't paid as much for writing them though!

I think maybe he meant he just prayed for everyone who needed a CV. I hope they all got jobs.
I ended up writing CVs for my friends when they needed them, some were willing to pay me and others I just said you can just pay me when you get the job.

There would be times when there would be massive layoffs so staff had to do heaps. But my computer protested after a while and stopped working! In the end I got too busy doing other things and found another job (now I knew the secrets as to how to write a really good CV) and then didn't have time to do them anymore. Funny!
 
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