An Idea All but Lost
Dr. Ben Pickett, 8-4-2023
When the word ‘love’ is brought up in your office, how is it used? Does it ever come up in formal meetings? At first glance I’m sure we could all think of many different ways ‘love’ could be used, but if you spend time considering how often, or little, you hear the word in your workplace you may be surprised at how infrequent it’s heard. From the responses in our gathering last week, it was clear that the word is most often used to describe something that someone *really* likes. “They just love going to the beach,” or “the music of [insert your favorite artist here],” or “they just love chocolate with ice cream” – or something similar – are prime examples. In other words, consider ‘love’ in its most superficial and insignificant sense and you would have a pretty good idea of the way the word is used in the office. After all, to use the word in any other sense would be far too personal!
Which brings me to my point. Not only are many workplaces devoid of the use of the word ‘love,’ even more critically, the office rarely considers the deeper and more complex facets of love that are essential for meaningful human relationships and for human flourishing. Perhaps out of fear of an uncomfortable moment, or confusion about intentions, etc., love from a Christian perspective is a subject that rarely comes up in any formal way.
For Christian leaders, this lack of the use of love in a deeper sense needs to change. If not the use of the word itself, at a minimum it’s Christ-honoring expression. If our calling is to follow Christ, to love others as Christ loved, then the idea of love as defined by self-emptying, others-centered behavior has to be part of our thinking. While there are many scriptures we can point to that support this notion of love (i.e. Matt. 5:43ff and I John 4:7ff), perhaps another way to see what Christ-honoring love looks like is to simply consider the cross. At Christ’s crucifixion we see the ultimate expression of love where the Son of God died not for his own advantage but for the benefit of others (that’s us(!)). We find similar teaching in Jesus’ words in the gospel of Matthew where he commands his disciples to “love their enemies” and “pray for those that persecute you.” (Matt. 5:43ff) In a culture and work environment where such unselfish and generous ideas are often rare, what do you think could happen if leadership decision-making insisted on a Christ-honoring expression of love as part of the process?
Now I realize you may not be in an environment where this kind of conversation can happen verbally. And yet, there is certainly room for every Christian leader to take tangible and meaningful action that demonstrates a commitment to Christ-honoring love. Inspired gestures both large and small flowing from a heart that genuinely cares about others for their sake could have a profound impact on your office culture. No doubt to do so in some places would be so foreign, so out-of-ordinary that it would shine light on a dimension of your humanity as a Christian leader they may not have noticed before. Given most work environments are governed by contractual obligations, the introduction of ideas, goals, outcomes, and the like where steps are taken for the benefit of others without expectation of something in return is a powerful way to demonstrate the love of God.
What would the introduction of Christ-honoring love look like in your workplace? Some won’t notice, others will – and it will mean the world to them.
