A Christian Commuter?

On Monday a report came out from Texas A&M University saying that DC has the worst traffic in the country. Something to be proud of?

It reminded me that a gal in my small group Bible study had brought up the topic. She knew it sounded funny, but said: “I’m serious. By the time I get to work I’m so frustrated from crowded trains and annoyed from dodging tourists I don’t feel very Christian.”

She’s suffering from something called “Sidewalk Rage” – yup, it’s a real condition!

Probably anyone can benefit from reducing their commuting stress, but as Christians we are called to be “slow to anger” (James 1:9) and to “overlook an offense” (Prov 19:11). Easier said than done when we’re sitting in an 8 mile backup.

Why do we get so annoyed?

• We expect “best case scenario” – somehow I think I can get just about anywhere within my city in “oh, about 15-to-20 minutes.” Whether I’m driving across the clogged roads of rush hour or trying to take the metro in the middle of the day when trains are running on an “off-peak” schedule.  Whatever your record commute time is from one place to another, it becomes your baseline expectation.
• It’s not a time you planned to connect with other people – there are times and places in life where we expect to have to be kind, professional and graceful. Commuting is not one of those times. Most people commute alone and see it as a kind of in-between space. You’re not quite at work and not quite at home and your greatest expectation of yourself is to wake up on the way in, and decompress on the way out. If something gets in the way of that (say, an obnoxious seatmate on the train) it kills you because you didn't think there were any demands on you during this time.
• People are inconsiderate – Sometimes it’s unintentional – tourists don’t know where they’re going. But sometimes it’s intentional – commuting can really bring out someone's true nature. People do cut you off on purpose, they do push around you on the escalator, and they do yell profanities (or use “sign language” to communicate from inside their car).
• We are inconsiderate too - Commuting can bring out my own true nature: I've cut people off. I've not let someone in when it was a reasonable thing to do. I've sighed and muttered at people who just don't understand you are supposed to "stand on the right and walk on the left - what is so complicated about that??" In the privacy of my car (or my head) I've said some really unkind things to strangers on my commute.

So how do you overcome your rage – whether it be sidewalk or road?

• Low Expectations/High Satisfaction – set realistic expectations for your commute. Both the time it really takes and what factors influence it. Where I grew up it was not uncommon to encounter a tractor taking up half the road going 7mph that would set you back a few minutes. Now I live in a city that has a reputation for becoming paralyzed any time precipitation falls from the sky. Be realistic about your average commute time, then give yourself a couple minutes of cushion. You may actually [gasp] get places on time!
• Budget grace for your commute – Realize that it’s not guaranteed “alone time.” You may have to interact with people. Be prepared to be kind. (And while you’re at it, budget some grace for the DMV - that place gives me palpitations.)
• Get over it – There’s no other way to say it. You’ll encounter jerks and it’s up to you whether you let them ruin your day or not.
• Knock it off - you aren't the only person on the planet who needs to get somewhere.

Set realistic expectation. Budget some grace. Ignore the jerks. Stop being a jerk. Simple, right?

What's the worst part of your commute? How do you deal with "the jerks?"

Does your job matter? - (Bonus Post) - Vocabulary Problem

Why do we keep using words that reinforce the problem? Even in this conversation, when we talk about “faith and work” we have a vocabulary problem – when we hear “sacred” we think of things like “faith” and “church” and when we hear “secular” we think “definitely not the church” and “work” usually falls into that category.

Our words themselves trip us up. It’s hard to have this conversation without differentiating between the two, but the whole point of the conversation is to stop differentiating. So before I go any further, I want to acknowledge that it’s a little hard to talk about this without using words that further reinforce the problem.

Does Your Job Matter? (Post #3 of 3) What Should You Do About It?

On Tuesday I had the opportunity to talk at an event called “Does Your Job Matter?”. It was about the importance of not separating your life into distinct faith and work categories, but to live more holistically. Here's the third of three posts, recapping what I talked about:

The work you’re doing is important – it’s important because it gives you a chance to actually come in contact with the world and influence it. It’s important because it’s an offering of worship back to God. And it’s important because it provides things people need.

So what do we do about it? How do we actually go about influencing the world, and how do we talk about it from a Biblical perspective?

Sunday/Monday Disconnect

I find that we have this “Sunday/Monday disconnect.” On Sundays we learn biblical principles, and on Mondays we aren’t sure how to make them relevant to the place we spend most of our time and energy. If we come to the realization that “work” is important – then it becomes important to talk about it from a biblical perspective.

It could be harder for you to be a Christian in some fields. You may face extra scrutiny because you are a Christian; your opinions may be subject to skepticism from those who assume you are trying to advance a certain set of beliefs. Or if you set different boundaries than the culture you work in (boundaries about alcohol, relationships with colleagues of the opposite sex, the hours you keep).

But being different shouldn't stop you from diving in.  We need excellent Christian professionals in every field, and becoming excellent in your field will be tough. It’s a lot easier to sit on the outside criticizing the lack of Christians in academia than it is to get your PhD and become a Christian professor. It’s far simpler to say there’s only garbage on TV than to become an excellent producer and create better television. Why would Christians want to become professors, when they feel pressure from their colleagues that their faith has no place in academics? Why would Christians become television producers when they are told that people only want to programs celebrating a lack of morality? Because we are called to be in the world.

What would your field look like if you weren’t there? What relationship would be missing? What gifts that God has given you would you be holding back? Or what cool invention or policy or artwork do you have in your head that the world could really use?

Does your job matter? - (Post #2 of 3) - Why does your job matter?

On Tuesday I had the opportunity to talk at an event called “Does Your Job Matter?” It was about the importance of not separating your life into distinct faith and work categories, but to live more holistically. Here’s the second of three posts, recapping what I talked about:

That question: “Why does your job matter?” has a 3-part answer:

1) It brings you in contact with the world: Your job gives you allows you to have a voice in the world:  In Matthew 5:13-14 Jesus says we are to be the "salt and the light" and John 17, where we get the concept that we are to be "in the world, not of the world."

Salt has a number of purposes - to preserve, to give flavor, and to disinfect. For salt to actually work, it has to come in contact with the item it’s trying to impact. For Christians to have a say in shaping the culture, we must be in the culture. And we have to be in it excellently. When we limit excellent Christian writers or teachers or artists, to write, teach or create only for Christian populations, we lose the opportunity for a strong God-fearing voice to influence the discussion.

2) Your job is an act of worship: We usually think of worship as singing, but worship is the act of taking any gifts you’ve been given and using them to glorify Christ. It’s an act of devotion. I haven’t been given musical gifts – the people who stand in front of me at church can vouch for that – but I have been given administrative gifts and management gifts and I use those as an offering back to God.

As for worship: I used this graph to make the point that if you think you can only worship God at church or during your weekly small group - you’re missing out. Don't just restrict worshipping God to your free time (which is already chock full of so many other things). Expand your view of worship and realize that work allows you to commune with and honor God.

3) The work itself is important: There’s a school of thought that says that Christians are to be in the world for the purpose of setting up the gospel. In their book God is at Work, Douglass Sherman and William Hendricks refer to that worldview as the “Strategic Soapbox” Model.  “Christians should work in secular jobs primarily as a strategy for evangelism. If you adopt this Strategic Soapbox model for your life, you redefine your job description. You are no longer a doctor, a teacher, or a salesperson. Rather, you become an evangelist in the field of medicine, education, or marketing.”

After they identify the model, they debunk it, saying: “Your work matters to God. Work is not something beneath God's dignity or concern, as some contend. Nor is work a game we play with non-Christians in order to accomplish a more important agenda… work is a major part of human life that God takes seriously.”

Work isn’t just some way of infiltrating the world and evangelizing. The work you do itself has value.

There is the cerebral & scientific Michael Faraday - amazing what he did with electricity. But honestly, I want the person who comes to my house to service my air conditioning unit to be honest, hardworking, and safe - those are all things Christians should be bringing to the professional world. So whether you're a scientist or a home repair specialist - the work you're doing is important.

Jeremiah 29 is an often-quoted chapter of the Bible. It’s most known for verse 11: “For I know the thoughts that I have towards you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Or verse 13 “and you will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart.” But, in that very same letter that Jeremiah wrote to the captives, verse 7 says “Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” Business contributes to the peace and prosperity of a community and should be a part of the package of things we as Christians offer to the world.