Break Through the Fear: Sharing Your Faith at Work
Fear. It’s a powerful weapon. One that the Enemy wields skillfully. He uses it to shut our mouths when we can be proclaiming the love and awesomeness of Christ instead. So let’s fight that fear. Because Scripture says God did not give us a Spirit of timidity but of power, love, and self-discipline. (2 Tim. 1:7-8) Let’s wield that power!
In today’s litigious culture, the Enemy uses the legal system (or the threat of the legal system) to silence us in our workplaces. Fear of lawsuits or other legal repercussions hamper us from expressing our faith in the workplace. Polished Network has put together a video resource that discusses the legal framework of how we can live out our faith in the workplace. The bottom line? In the U.S., we actually have quite a bit of freedom to express our faith in the workplace. So how do we do that?
First, the key to expressing our faith in the workplace (and anywhere, really) is to do so respectfully and kindly. Ask if you can pray for someone before launching into it. Respect their answer if they say no (and just pray in private!). Avoid criticizing or judging someone for their sin. (Matt. 7:5) Feel free to share your testimony, talk about Jesus and his impact on your life, and invite your coworkers into those conversations. But if you are asked to refrain from discussing those topics with certain people, respect that request—although you do not have to screen yourself so much as to avoid answering questions about your life honestly (e.g., if someone asks you what you did on Sunday, answer honestly and specifically!).
Second, weave your faith life into your everyday conversations. For example, if someone asks you what you did over the weekend, include your church activities specifically in the response. You can discuss how a sermon or conversation at a Polished meeting is causing you to think about a work situation differently.
Third, invite your work colleagues to faith events. If inviting them to church is a bit too intimidating for them, invite them to a Polished meeting, the Boldly Conference, or a service project hosted by your church or small group.
Ultimately, the goal is to live our faith out loud in the workplace. We want to let our light so shine that our Father in Heaven may be glorified. (Matt. 5:16) And we can do so boldly without fear. Check out Faith, Work, and the Law to learn more about how you can exercise your faith in the workplace without fear of legal repercussions.
Tiffanie Limbrick is in-house counsel to RightNow Media, a nonprofit that offers over 25,000 Biblically-based videos for small groups, families, students, and leaders to study the Bible. She has the pleasure of screening licensed content for RightNow Media, managing contracts, and maintaining relationships with speakers, pastors, and industry leaders. She describes her job as a fun-180 from her prior career as a complex commercial litigator.
When she is not lawyering, Tiffanie is a proud mom to a six-year old and a passionate advocate for the anti-human trafficking movement. Tiffanie is a volunteer Community Trainer with Unbound Now where she educates the community about the basics of human trafficking in an effort to equip and empower the community to make a difference in the lives of those impacted by human trafficking. She also loves her role as Chapter Director for Polished North Dallas where she has the opportunity to gather women to support their faith and work journey.