Messing up at work

Happy Monday! I hope each of you had a blessed and reflective Easter. I was reminded by a very fine sermon at our church that the resurrection is just as important as the cross. Jesus died for our sins on the cross, but resurrection became real for us three days later. I’m glad that God is still in the resurrection business, because I make lots of mistakes – including in business.

As an example, I found myself apologizing to a coworker on Thursday. I hadn’t actually offended her, but I realized that I should have been more supportive earlier when someone else upset her. It certainly wasn’t the first time I’ve apologized to a coworker, and usually for offenses far worse than this.

I can’t remember who once gave me this advice, but I was told that a sincere apology is far more memorable than most offenses. Thankfully, I’ve found this to be true.  In Psalm 25:8-9, David wrote,

 The Lord is good and does what is right;
      he shows the proper path to those who go astray.
 He leads the humble in doing right,
      teaching them his way.”

If as Christians in the corporate world we really want to make a difference in the lives of our coworkers, we should begin by accepting God’s forgiveness for our own mistakes and offering apologies sincerely and often.

(and here’s an oldie but a goodly – DC Talk’s “What if I Stumble?”)