The words we speak reflect what is in our heart. When we open our mouth, our hearts are exposed. Whether we are conscious of it or not, wherever our hearts are focused, this is what we spend our time thinking and talking about. In turn, whatever we are thinking and talking about affects our daily life.
As water reflects a face, so a man’s heart reflects the man.
Proverbs 27:19
My good friend Jane and I worked at a small technology company. As we shared life together, we shared our God stories. We loved to talk about God. We always talked about what God was doing in our life and would often share these stories at work. The conversations were always stimulating, encouraging, and uplifting. It was a joy to run into Jane in the hallway and swap a God story or two in the middle of a busy workday.
Jane and I had made the decision to attend college together; taking a full-time credit load in addition to our full-time jobs and family responsibilities.
It was a stressful time. Work was really busy. School was equally intense. Between work and school, our hands were full. At work, the company was moving through a high-growth period with each person scrambling to cover the growing demands while additional resources were added. I was working in the Human Resources Department and the pressure was on to hire. At school, English Composition class was going to conclude with a big test. The test had a reputation for being tough, and there was added pressure because we needed to get a minimum score in order to proceed with our program. Jane and I studied feverishly. We began to obsess about the mechanics of grammar. The responsibilities of work and school were becoming too much to handle.
One morning in quiet reflection, God reminded me to be grateful for my salvation no matter what life circumstances came along. I realized my hallway conversations with Jane had turned from Jesus to grammar. In hindsight, I saw that the more we talked about our worries and concerns, the more they began to weigh us down. I saw the error and the severity of this change, and I wanted to do something about it. I walked into work that day, found Jane, and exuberantly exclaimed, “Hey Jane, what about our salvation?” I suggested we quickly turn our conversations and focus back to Christ.
That evening before class, we stopped at the campus chapel as we often did and I stayed on my knees a little longer than usual. I felt the weight of the world on my shoulders. I prayed earnestly for help.
When I opened my eyes, there was the cross. It was center stage and filled my vision. It reminded me to keep my eyes on Jesus and not my circumstances. Just as my physical eyes were opened, so were my spiritual eyes. God indelibly wrote the reminder on my heart that night. Where my thoughts focus influences my life. I needed to make an effort to keep my focus on God.
My step was a little lighter as I walked down the hallway to class; my heart had an extra measure of peace that hadn’t been
there earlier.
Are you looking at your circumstances today? Change your focus to God by turning your thoughts and conversations to Him.
Taken from Walking in Faith: Stories of Hope and Encouragement for the Workplace by Shari Harris – Copyright © 2011 Shari J. Harris – Used with Permission
Shari is currently serving as a Hospice Chaplain at Olive Grove Hospice. Shari is a certified coach who lends a blend of business and ministry experience to her every endeavor. God has given her a passion to encourage people to integrate work and faith. You can learn more about her book, Walking in Faith: Stories of Hope and Encouragement on her website: www.sharjharris.com and contact her at sharijharris@comcast.net
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