The Christian Working Woman

There is a book in the Bible full of wisdom for our everyday lives, and that is the book of Proverbs. I’m going to share a proverb a day, which will show you the way! We’ll look at four different proverbs and see the wisdom for us. I encourage you to make Proverbs a daily reading habit. There are 31 chapters, so it’s easy to read the chapter that corresponds to the day of the month. I’...

Some years ago, someone sent me this story, which illustrates this truth—God won’t let you go. Let me tell you it. On a hot summer day in Florida, a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house. He jumped into the water, not realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake, an alligator was swimming toward the shore. His father working in the yard saw what w...

Presented by Lauren Stibgen There are so many studies about the Proverbs 31 woman and aspirations to be like her. She is a powerful example of a working woman from the Old Testament, and she is an important example of male/female unity between mothers and sons and husbands and wives. Maybe you aren’t a mom or son or wife or husband, but the foundations of unity between men and women are found in t...

Presented by Lauren Stibgen Are you under the impression that the women in the Bible weren’t working women? Many of the Christian women I encounter haven’t heard this important truth. Women have always worked! In fact, we examined this when we discussed the creation story of Genesis, the prophetesses Miriam and Deborah, and the women who worked in unity with Jesus! God needs us working in unity wi...

Presented by Lauren Stibgen When you think of your work, do you think about the most important work God has called us to? That work is to share the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and this work is a shared work for all of us who are brothers and sisters in Christ. Men and women share a critical, unified role in sharing the beautiful gift of mercy and eternity we have in Jesus! Although we...

Presented by Lauren Stibgen We hear a lot about the prophets, but what about prophetesses? Women worked alongside men in the Old Testament, even as prophetesses of the Lord. Although the Old Testament text has a lot less to say about these women, we read that they were respected and sought after for their specific wisdom. The history in the Bible would surely not be the same without unity between...

Presented by Lauren Stibgen I have been in the workplace for longer than I want to admit and one thing I can say is I hear more about the differences between men and women at work than what unifies us. Although I don’t want to overlook the different realities men and women face in the workforce, I also don’t think we talk enough about God’s point of view on men and women when it comes to work. So,...

The studies and articles aren’t new. In fact, the first workplace gender research started in the 1960s and 1970s. Men and Women in the Corporation by Rosabeth Moss Kanter was considered one of the first academic studies on gender differences in work behavior and opportunity, and this was in 1977. This conversation is as old as me, but I would like to remind you that women at work is not a construc...

Presented by Julie Busteed I’ve been talking about the importance of unity—not just with fellow believers, but also with our coworkers. Today’s workplace looks different than it used to. Some people work remotely, some in the office, and others split their time between both. Each setup has its benefits, but they also come with unique challenges—especially when it comes to staying connected. How do...

Presented by Julie Busteed I recently read a 2021 Harvard Business Review article about high performing teams. The article reported “disagreements with people whose opinions or ideas differ from our own are common in the workplace. When handled appropriately, disagreements lead to better results—but they are not usually viewed that way.” [1] So true! Different ideas or ways of doing things can lea...

Presented by Julie Busteed The Psalmist writes: How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity (Psalm 133:1)! How good and pleasant it is to be in unity with others. But that’s not always how life works—especially at our jobs. Just as unity is important in your relationship with Christ and fellow believers, it’s also important in your workplace. Teams that have a common and s...

Presented by Julie Busteed How can you work together with others but have so many differences? The Apostle Paul gives a great example in 1 Corinthians 12 of how you and I are each created differently but are also united in Christ. Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whe...

Presented by Julie Busteed In a society when there is so much discord and argument and division, unity is a rare thing. As a Christ-follower, why do we need to have unity? Jesus gives us this reason: My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us...

Crucial conversations are often with people who will continue to be in your life no matter how the conversation turns out, and these conversations may cover a span of time. For example, sometimes we have to approach a family member about an issue, a close friend, or a coworker that we see every day. A friend told me about some crucial conversations she has had with her siblings concerning the care...

What parent hasn’t said to a small child, “Now, play well with your friends.” We try to motivate them to play with consideration, not to be selfish, to share their toys—to “play nice” as we say. Don’t you think we need to “work nice” with our fellow workers? Here’s one last suggestion for creating more unity where you work: Help others to find their greatness and to develop and use their talents a...

How often do you complete a goal or project with no help from others? My guess is we rarely reach our goals on our own. We receive help and cooperation, ideas and support from others, and that makes it possible for us to succeed. I’m examining how to strive for more unity in the workplace, and one of the basic things to remember is to share credit for accomplishments and ideas. Have you ever seen...

Would you like to have a better atmosphere where you work—one with more unity? I’m examining what you can do—as one person—to improve the atmosphere at your job. And that mainly means what you can do to work well with others. We hear lots of comments about how difficult workplaces are these days. With the scarcity of jobs and many companies asking more work from less employees, it can feel like yo...

What can you do to create more unity in your workplace—and make it a nicer place to work? I’m examining working well at work—doing what you can to create a better work environment. I already examined the importance of not playing the blame game. Here’s suggestion number two. Always bring a solution when you present a problem. Anybody can complain and find fault, and there’s plenty of that going on...

A study showed if you have a good friend at work, you are much more likely to be satisfied with your job. How would you describe your work relationships? Do you just tolerate your coworkers, or would you count at least some of them as good friends? Your answer to those questions could have a lot to do with how you feel about your job. I want to talk about what you can do to work well with others,...

I thought it important to talk about times of crucial conversations, because quite honestly, they can be helpful in unifying people on the job. But if not handled correctly, they can cause division. As Christ-followers we should always speak the truth in love, and that just means you hold these crucial conversations for the purpose of helping another person understand, keeping their welfare in min...

If you had a person who caused you lots of grief, would you pass up an opportunity to get back at that person? Our friend, Fran, could have gotten her boss in trouble, but because Jesus was beside her, giving her love and pity for Marilyn, she has chosen to back off and let Marilyn off the hook. Marilyn can’t cover up her obvious relief as she realizes Fran won’t insist on her right to...

Fran has been given a very bad appraisal and put “on notice” by her manager, Marilyn, because Fran refused to submit dishonest numbers to a prospect, as Marilyn told her to do. With Jesus to guide her, Fran has calmly asked to exercise her right to talk with the VP of Human Resources, Ed, and voice her disagreement with the very bad appraisal she received. It has become clear to Fran,...

Fran, our workplace woman has just received a very unfair and vindictive appraisal from her manager. This means Fran will be officially “on notice,” and could lose her job in three months. She went into panic mode, but with Jesus right beside her, she hears him tell her exactly what to say. Fran turns to Marilyn, her boss, “Well, Marilyn, I think the procedures give me the right...

Our friend, Fran, a workplace woman, was headed into her boss’s office for her annual appraisal. But thankfully, she’s not going there alone; she is aware Jesus is right beside her. “Come on in, Fran,” Marilyn says in a rather rigid voice, as she closes the door behind her. “I’ve already completed your appraisal, and what I’d like you to do is look it over...

I continue the story of our friend, Fran and Jesus on the Job. A few months ago, Fran was faced with an ethical decision. She actually refused to make a presentation to a client using deceptive methods—even though her manager asked her to do it—and as a result the account was taken away from her. She made the right choice, though it wasn’t easy. Today, as Fran arrives at work, she’s a...