Oxygen Tanks
I worked hard last week.
How about you?
Did you make sure you took care of everything that you were supposed to? Followed through on all of your commitments? Finish the report you were going to do, returned the phone calls you were supposed to return?
I have some people that I work with that take things a little too far, a little too seriously. They think only of their job and how they have to complete it at all costs. They push everyone else around them, putting them in awkward positions, not being concerned about others, living as if their job means everything to them.
But our job is just that – A job!
If that report doesn’t get done or that task doesn’t get completed on time due to circumstances beyond our control it is not the end of the world. Life will go on! My wife and I have an expression for this that we used to use when I worked in the secular music industry. If I ever start acting like this she would just say to me “oxygen tanks!”
People all around me would be pushing me to no end, trying to squeeze out additional orders for their product or wanting the customer and myself (the sales person) to go above and beyond all of the time. The expression we used then was something like this “Looks like Gene Simmons needs some more oxygen tanks!”. This basically meant that although everyone I worked with was pushing me as if it was a life or death situation, I was NOT in the oxygen tank delivery business, and if my truck broke down (or I didn’t get that additional order) it didn’t mean that people would die at the hospital because I didn’t make the delivery on time.
Many folks are getting their value and worth in their job. They think they are selling “oxygen tanks” when in fact they are just doing a job – a job that God is glad they are doing nevertheless. But without their job where would they be? God would still love us. God would still care for us. Nothing else matters to Him except that we are honoring and worshiping Him in all we do.
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for man.” Colossians 3:23
A Real Christian Businessman knows that our business or our job is what we DO, not who we are. It is only one aspect of our lives! Kill it while you are doing it; make it the best job you can while you are doing it. Then come home, turn it off (your thoughts and all aspects of your job), be with your family, worship, have outside interests, do things that matter in other parts of your life too.
You, and your life, (and even your business or job), will be better for it.