People Over Perfect
My idea of a perfect day at work is getting all my tasks done. I just enjoy coming into the office, catching up on email and then diving into my to do list. On days that I can check off all the items on my list, I feel accomplished, as though I have slayed a dragon! THAT is a perfect day! Do you have days like that?
My idea of a perfect Saturday at home is cleaning, cleaning and more cleaning so that when I am all done, everything is spotless. I enjoy having a place for everything and having everything in its place. On those days, I feel like I have slayed a whole thunder of dragons! THAT is a perfect day for me! Can you relate?
Then there are days when people bump into my perfect. Sometimes I feel as though I should issue ticket numbers outside my office to keep the flow of people orderly and on my schedule. However, this is not the reality of HR, is it? No. Some days are so full of people that I am mentally and emotionally exhausted by the end of the day. I do not want to talk to anyone when I get home. I just want to go to bed.
Matthew 14:13-21 tells the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000, and after that He needed some time alone. Verse 23 says, “After He had dismissed them, He went up on a mountainside to pray. When evening came, He was there alone.” In following His example, I also must take time to be alone with the Father to refresh and renew my spirit. Matthew 11:28-30 says, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Quiet time and rest in the Lord help me prepare for the busy times with people. It helps me be gentle and kind. It is like affixing my own oxygen mask before helping others affix theirs. I must take care of myself first.
On the days when my office door is revolving at warp speeds tossing in one employee after another, and my phone will not stop ringing, it can be difficult to take space. To best serve my fellow coworkers, I need to regroup in between conversations to ensure that I give each person my full attention. Sometimes my mind is on the previous conversation even after the person in the present has begun talking. When this happens, I take notes. Taking notes helps me focus and be a better listener.
At times I tend to picture people as tasks. I will even put someone’s name on my task list because I have to return a call or email, and at my stage in life, if I do not write it down, it does not get done. I have to be so careful with this because it becomes easy to treat others like a task such that when I return the phone call, I ask no questions about the person. I stick only to the objective of the call. This is NOT building relationships – it IS completing a task. What kind of tone does that establish with my coworker? It is likely that I will be perceived as cold and uncaring, when in fact that is not true. It just happens that I am task focused by nature which simply means that I must work harder at the people part of my job. I must not use my nature as an excuse to treat people as a task and not work on relationships.
Over the years, I have learned that pouring into people, listening to their stories and being able to add value to them is more satisfying than completing any task on my do list. Although it takes more time and energy, the reward is so much greater because I am building relationships and trust and value. I truly want my coworkers to call me and come visit with me not just about work stuff but life stuff too. They are more open to doing the latter than the former if I have created that environment with each interaction.
Imagine if Jesus had just walked into a town and said, “Be healed,” and then continued walking to the next town and said the same thing and so on. Everyone in the towns He visited would have been healed, and He could have moved on to the next town of tasks. But He did not do that. He knew every story of every person He encountered and would still ask them questions. He would go to people’s houses and have dinner. He spent time with them. He certainly did not treat people as tasks. In fact, Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” Matthew 22:37-39. Loving our neighbor as ourselves means getting to know our neighbor, not just checking their name off a to do list.
So then, while I will continue to enjoy conquering my task list, and still consider it a perfect day, any time I can add value to others will be the BEST day. I must continue to place People over Perfect. If I truly love the Lord with all my heart, I will put His people first. This not only builds relationships but honors the second greatest commandment to love others. May God richly bless you as you serve your coworkers today, and may He encourage you to live life abundantly in Him as you work.