Walk It Out: Back to School (or Work)!

Happy Tuesday, all you guys and gals! Now, if I’m understanding correctly, school either has started or is soon to start for many of my student & teacher readers. The end of summer marks a new season of academic routines and a heavier workload. Maybe you’re a student getting back into the swing of things, a teacher making lesson plans, or a graduate gearing up for a busy fall season - this post is for you.

This week, we’re going to cover 3 ways in which our faith can impact our academic and work life. I encourage you to treat these topics as challenges - setting a goal to incorporate these habits and ideals into your day whenever you step foot on campus or at your worksite. When you allow God to guide your days, there really is no telling where you will wind up.

#1: Work Smarter and Harder

The work that we do is a reflection of our faith. I know, I’m hitting you hard right from the start. But, it’s true. Not only the quality of work that we do, but how we go about the work that we do sends messages to the world about our faith and the way that we choose to live our life.

Consider the Parable of the Talents in the middle of Matthew 25… In this parable, a businessman sends his servants out into the world - one with 5 talents, one with 2 talents, and one with 1 talent. Now, you might be scratching your head like, “Kennedy, what the heck is a talent?” Well guys, 1 talent is worth about 6,000 denari. A day laborer, like these servants, would earn 1 denari for a day’s work. 1 singular talent was worth 20 years of wages. So, at the very least, each of these servants are carrying 20 years worth of wages. Once you’ve wrapped your mind about those sums, let’s fast forward to what these servants do with their cash. The man who had 5 talents immediately went to work and multiplied them - he doubled his investment and brought in a total of 10 talents (or 200 years of wages). The man who received 2 talents did the same, and he was able to bring back 4 talents back to the businessman. But the last servant? He buried his talent in the ground and hid the money.

What do you think happened? Well, I’ll tell you. The businessman was only pleased with 2 of the 3 servants. Can you guess the odd man out? Yeah, you’re right… It’s probably the guy who LITERALLY BURIED MONEY IN THE GROUND. The businessman took that unused talent and gave it to the servant who had brought in 10 talents, trusting that someone who had worked smarter & harder would use the talent wisely. 

The truth is that we can exhibit that same drive and integrity in our classrooms and in our workplaces. By working smarter and harder with the resources we’ve been blessed with, we not only help those around us, but we honor God. We can work with integrity and honesty, giving our best efforts to shine a light through the work that we do. I can promise you that when you bring Jesus into your daily academic and career decisions, your hands will begin to work with an eagerness to do the next right thing. When you work with such careful effort and courageous integrity, people will begin to think or even ask aloud, “What’s so different about how they work? What makes them work so hard? What makes them joyful in their work? Why are they producing these results? What is so different?” And that, my dear readers, is your chance to tell them that all of what you do is meant to glorify, honor, and exalt the Most High God.

In my very last semester at Belmont, I took a class that inspired this entire blog. The goal of the class was to become a Roaring Lamb… one of Christ’s sheep that had the roar of a lion. It was through this class that I along with my peers discovered that it doesn’t matter where you are or what you’re doing, you always have the opportunity to do good work that showcases Jesus Christ. Whether it’s staying after class to help a teacher, volunteering to clean up at work, or putting forth your best effort on an assignment, your actions will speak louder than your words.

My challenge to you is to find an opportunity to glorify God through at least one assignment or interaction this week.

#2: Breadcrumbs

Have you guys heard of this term before? I’ve really only ever heard of it within the dating/relationship landscape. In that sense, breadcrumbing means to leave just enough clues or signals (breadcrumbs) to keep a potential partner interested in you - you’re hoping that they’ll pick up what you’re putting down, you know?

My thought is this: What if we could turn “breadcrumbing” on its head for the glory of God?

There are infinite ways in which you can show your love for Christ without being too pushy. For instance, maybe you have a “Jesus Loves You” bumper sticker or tee shirt. I actually saw a bumper sticker yesterday that read, “Do you follow Jesus this closely?” Yeah, safe to say I backed off of them, haha! The cool part was knowing that I was driving (not too closely) behind a fellow brother or sister in Christ. Maybe instead of telling someone that they’re in your thoughts, you tell them they’re in your prayers. Maybe you have a sticker or post-it note with a Bible verse on your laptop. Maybe you wear a cross on a necklace or chain. Maybe your phone lockscreen involves a Bible verse or faithful message - when your phone lights up, it also shines a light for Jesus. You can find some pretty cool backgrounds for guys and girls by clicking here!

I’ve found that when I try sharing Jesus through the little things, not only does it keep everyone  on their toes, but it gives me fresh eyes for new opportunities to show someone love. I’ve actually made new friendships because I’ve left breadcrumbs for Christ wherever I go.  

My challenge to you is leave at least 3 little “breadcrumbs” throughout your week.

#3: Don’t Just Have Friends - Be One.

Oftentimes, when I think about Jesus, I think about Him surrounded by the disciples cracking jokes and sharing stories and parables. Then, it hits me… This guy had 12 super close friends. I mean, dang it, that seems like a good size circle of people! I’m lucky to have half that many close friends (and if we’re being honest, at least half of my friend group is family).

For those in school and out of school, making friends can seem like a monumentally frightening task. It was so easy to make friends in kindergarten… not so much in high school, college, or the world beyond. Obviously, quality community and strong friendships are important; we see this all throughout Jesus’ walk on earth… the man literally did not meet a stranger. But how did He do it? How did He keep those relationships strong?

It’s safe to say that we’re in a very self-centered era of modern society. From self-care to the infamous selfie, everything in our culture revolves around being a very individual person and what you and I as individual persons can receive or be given from someone else. But, this isn’t really something we see Jesus model… we don’t see him searching for validation or attention from friends, we see Him focus on just being a good friend.

When we focus on how we treat those around us rather than how they treat us, there is a weight lifted off of our shoulders. Instead of questioning why they said what they did or why they acted in such a manner, the focus turns to what we can do to bring life, kindness, and joy to whomever we’re talking to. Jesus never asked people what they could do for Him, but rather He offered His hand to them. 

I can guarantee that if you go into your workspace or school with the goal of being a friend rather than having friends, you will find yourself surrounded by sweet friendships. This won’t happen overnight, but eventually you’ll find yourself among people who also value being a friend and building strong, Godly foundations in their relationships.

My challenge to you is to live out this verse picking someone up this week and being a friend to someone else.

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What do you mean this post is already over? Already, we’ve covered 3 different ways our faith can impact our lives throughout our academic and work spaces. I hope that you accomplish one of the 3 challenges within this post! I would love to hear about it! You can contact HDWN via the submission portals throughout the website, @hedidwhatnowpod on Instagram, or @kenraeb on Instagram.

I hope that you’re settling back into the swing of things nicely! I hope you have a great week! See you next time!