Sharing Your Faith at Work During the Holidays

For many Christians, sharing our faith with others intimidates, if not frightens, us and can spark questions and insecurities.

‍

“What if I offend someone?” “What if they think I’m ignorant or naïve?” “What if they ask me a question I can’t answer?”

‍

Regardless of where we are—whether at home, at school, or at our local coffee shop—telling others about the hope we have in Jesus and the difference he makes in our lives can be challenging. And there may be no place more challenging to share Jesus than at work.

‍

Yet as uncomfortable as sharing our faith at work can be, our workplaces offer unparalleled opportunities for telling others the good news about Jesus. And the holiday season is a unique time when our coworkers may be open to what we have to say about our faith—and it doesn’t have to be awkward or uncomfortable. As you think about bringing your faith to the workplace this holiday season, consider these three ways to share the love of God with your team members.‍

‍

Through Friendship‍

‍

We spend more waking hours with our coworkers than almost anyone else. For many of us, some of our closest friendships are with the people we spend those forty hours (or more) with every week. If we’re not invested in the people around us at work, we’re forfeiting a prime opportunity to establish deep, meaningful relationships and to share the love of God with Christians and non-Christians alike.

‍

This holiday season, what could it look like for you to view your workplace not just as a place where you clock in and out, but a place to invest in deep relationships? How could you approach your job site with the goal of sharing God’s love with people who don’t know him, and doing it through the act of friendship? Here are a few ideas:

‍

• Invite a coworker to lunch.
• Attend company events and make a point to talk to people.
• Be warm and approachable: keep your office door open, ask questions, take an interest in your coworkers’ lives.

‍

Friendship is one of God’s sweetest graces to us in this life. Make it your ambition to be a great friend at work and extend God’s kindness to those you work with.

‍

‍Through Generosity‍

‍

The holiday season is a time when giving takes center stage, whether we’re giving thanks or giving gifts. As Christians, generosity should be a regular feature of our lives, and this time of year gives us even more reason to give above and beyond to our coworkers in thoughtful, meaningful, and surprising ways.

‍

And generosity isn’t only about giving money. Sure, we can help a coworker financially, but we can also lend them our time, talent, or even a kind word. Here are some questions to ask as you consider how to be generous with those you work with:

‍

• Do you have any coworkers who need help with a project they’re working on?
• Could you pick up a shift for someone whose schedule won’t allow them to attend their child’s extracurricular activity or a family gathering?
• Do you have any coworkers whose families live elsewhere? Could you invite them to your family’s Christmas celebration?
• Could you buy small gifts for your team members to show that you see them and care?

‍
Generosity is one of many ways to display our faith to our coworkers. How could you imitate God’s generosity by being generous to the people you work with?‍

‍

Through Prayer‍

‍

Prayer is one of the non-negotiables of the Christian life. It colors everything we do, from exercising wisdom to renouncing sin to sharing our faith with our coworkers. In all these things (and more), we need God’s help. And prayer is where we ask God for the help we need.

‍

Are you eager to impact your workplace with the gospel? Pray. Do you long to see a particular coworker soften to the good news? Pray. Are you curious how to make inroads with a team member you tend to butt heads with? Pray. Begin each morning in prayer—maybe right upon waking, on your drive to work, or when you first set foot into your office—asking God to help you be a light in your place of business. Not sure how to pray? Consider these ideas:

‍

• Pray that God will empower you to be a person of integrity at the office.
• Pray that God will give you favor with your coworkers.
• Pray for opportunities to share your story and the gospel with coworkers.
• Ask coworkers if there’s anything you can pray about for them. And then pray for them, either right there with them (if they don’t mind) or in your own prayer time.
• Pray that God will make you sensitive to the needs and desires of your coworkers.

‍

God is a prayer-hearing God. And an amazing thing happens when we pray: God hears us, and he answers. So, pray. And pray expectantly.

‍

Our workplaces are ripe for the gospel. Jesus himself, in Matthew 9:37–38, tells us “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field” (NIV). When we clock in at work each day, we aren’t merely putting in our time to create a product, perform a service, or make a buck; we are workers being sent into the harvest.

‍

That doesn’t mean we should see our coworkers as a project or that all our work relationships should be contingent upon them receiving the gospel. But it does mean we have an opportunity to do a kind of work that supersedes the work our companies hired us to do. Namely, we work to cultivate genuine relationships with our coworkers, serving them and sacrificing for them; we do all we can to be generous to them with our time, talent, and finances; and we bow in prayer before the Father on their behalf, asking him to help them, bless them, and soften their hearts to the gospel.

‍

Wherever you work, God has sent you there as a worker in his harvest. This holiday season, consider how you can take up that work by sharing your faith with your coworkers.