I just got back from Arkansas where I attended the Workmatters Conference. Workmatters is an organization that helps you pursue God’s purpose for your work.
This was my second year attending the conference and I was so inspired by this year’s speakers. The roster included leaders from Tyson Foods, Facebook, Walmart, Chick-Fil-A and other corporations and organizations. These leaders spoke eloquently about their love for Jesus and how they integrate their faith into their work.
There were so many inspiring “aha” moments for me throughout the conference. I’m going to share three principles that resonated with me:
1. Stay connected to the power source: During the conference, Donnie Smith, the former CEO of Tyson Foods shared that in order to ignite our faith at work, we need to spend time connected to God. Donnie encouraged us to start our day with personal time with God. Donnie used a great analogy that really made the point hit home. He used a power drill with a sharp bid and tried to drill a hole in a piece of wood by spinning and pushing the power drill into the wood. As he spun and pushed, he expressed his level of frustration with how he wasn’t making any progress. It was obvious to us in the audience that he wasn’t going to get anywhere unless he turned on the drill’s power source. Once he did, the power drill functioned as it was intended to—it drilled a hole into the wood, unencumbered.
Donnie referred to John 15:5, which tells us that Jesus is the vine and we are the branches. If we remain in Him, we will bear much fruit But apart from Him, we can do nothing.
In closing his message, Donnie reminded us that the key to igniting our walk with Christ is to abide in Him every day. Make our time in our Bibles a priority and eliminate things from our schedules that get in the way of our time with the Lord.
2. Be intentional about how you show up: The second principle that really stood out to me came from Ashton Batten. Ashton is the Senior Customer Manager at Mars Wrigley Confectionery. She was one of three panelists on a panel of millennials. Ashton shared about the importance of her faith and how it plays a role in her day-to-day work. Ashton says that she intentionally and proactively determines how she wants to show up for work every day given her faith. I loved this concept because it reminded me that I can choose how to respond to the events of my day. This is a question I plan to incorporate into my morning quiet time. I’m going to ask myself: how do I want to show up for work today so that I can glorify God?
3. Take your territory: The third and last principle that I want to share with you from the Workmatters conference is from Nona Jones. Nona is the Head of Faith-Based Partnerships at Facebook. She and her husband also lead Open Door Ministries in Gainesville, Florida. Nona shared a powerful message where she encouraged conference participants to “take your territory”. She emphasized that as Christians, we need to take the Gospel everywhere we go. She emphasized that every place our feet step on is territory that God has given us. He didn’t place us where we are in our jobs by accident. We need to ask ourselves, what does God want us to do where He has placed us.
I hope these three principles encourage you as they encouraged me.
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