First of all, my answer is sadly YES. I was challenged several years ago when someone asked me if the people I worked with would readily know about my faith. I really didn’t know what my closest colleagues at work may say, which is exactly the problem. It occurred to me I had largely kept that (huge) part of my life private outside of personal relationships.
It could be that I came up out of college in the early 90s, and outside of the need to wear awful navy suits, pantyhose (ugh) and ridiculous pumps, I was mentored to not discuss anything such as faith in the workplace. (I also was told that I really should always vote republican if I cared about the country’s fiscal position. I wish I had known earlier that the best leaders & cultures wouldn’t set you up in this way.) All of this becomes more laughable over time, but it also leaves me, admittedly, a bit disgusted. I don’t dwell as a practice on these types of realities but I certainly hope today’s grads don’t have that experience. But I digress…
Back to the point of today’s message.
Folks, other people are relying on us to be open about our faith. People need the light that can be brought – and many times flat out hope that we might bring – through this discussion. I am not a fan of flaunting my faith, but I do believe that in the right place (and or conversation) revealing where you find your peace, focus or perspective can be quite helpful.
You know fairly quickly if someone is open to the idea. As a practical example, I often speak at a mentoring event each year leading a small group discussion about work life balance. In this encounter, I can’t tell you the number of young professionals that come up to me after and want to thank me for talking about my faith. My take-home thought on that experience is that people want to share their faith and blend it in but are afraid. I hope our cultures evolve over time to make this more acceptable. An important part of this to me is that all faiths are important. To me this is where we are best: When we are willing to learn and grow and ultimately open our minds and hearts to many points of view.
So, what would those that know you say about your faith no matter what that may be? Would they know they could come to you if they needed a bit of encouragement or inspiration today? I’m so thankful someone challenged me. I hope it inspires at least one of you! Have an incredible week.
One more thought: My friends at Faith Always Wins have a terrific interfaith message that is inspiring and encouraging as we all move toward greater awareness. - check them out if you’d like! Their work is changing the world.
Thank you, Lori for raising this issue. I am comfortable with my religious ideas and have no qualms about expressing them if someone is interested. That being said, I don’t try to “sell” my beliefs or push them on anyone for fear of polarization as a “Jesus freak”. Unfortunately, many people will jump to that wrong assumption and erect barriers to future conversations about it, meaning nothing happens. So that is how I approach the subject. If you want to hear about my beliefs, just ask.