By Rachel Loe, February 26, 2024

A common theological concept is the idea of our vertical relationship with God vs. our horizontal relationship with those around us. We see this in the Great Commandment: “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:30-31 ESV). Last week, we covered how we address our vertical relationship with our Lord when we fail by turning and repenting and resting in the grace that He provides. This week, we will turn to the horizontal relationships damaged by our sins and how to address them in the workplace. Because, like it or not, our lives and choices affect those around us, even if it is not perceivable to the outside world. 

When we fall in the workplace, and our testimony is compromised, all is not lost. The beautiful thing about our Lord is that He is sovereign, and “what you meant for evil, God has meant for good” (Genesis 50:20 paraphrased). Believe it or not, a complete failing on our part can open up Gospel conversations with our coworkers who are not believers, should we respond appropriately. Some action steps to take in response:

1. Apologize to anyone who witnessed or was affected by your choices:

 Even if your coworkers are not believers and do not understand why you are apologizing to them, it is how we are to respond. A personal story – I had a meeting with a peer in which I, caught up in the heat of the moment, did not paint one of our coworkers in a great light. While in the normal workplace setting, what I did is common and almost expected, it was not necessary for the meeting, and I did it out of frustration and anger. Later that day, after being convicted, I went to the peer I had been meeting with and apologized. I explained that it was not kind or respectful of me to speak of our coworker in such a manner, which is not in my normal character. He responded with a laugh and said, “I don’t even know why you are apologizing! I do that all the time!” This leads to point 2. 

2. Explain why it is important to you to apologize: 

 If you have been living out loud for Christ in your workplace, it is important that you look different. We are Ambassadors for the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:20). We are meant to be the light in the darkness; therefore, when we look like the darkness (which we will), we must turn and apologize. When I apologized to my peer, and he laughed at my response, I let him know that, while yes, it is common for people in my workplace to speak of each other in the way I did, it does not represent my Lord well because we are called to love one another, even if they are unlovable. After all, that is what Christ did for us. 

One of my favorite verses, Romans 5:8, “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” No matter what another does to us, it is nothing in light of our sin against God. His response was to send His beloved Son into the world to die for those who were not worthy to look upon His face, that we be reconciled to Him. So, whether or not our coworkers recognize that we need to apologize or not, we are committed to serving a higher power, and this is how we do that when we fail.