Joy at workplace

In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before, so the king asked me, “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.” 

I was very much afraid, but I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” Nehemiah 2:1-3 (NIV) 

When I told my co-workers that I had accepted an offering for another job a few months ago, some of them came to my office trying to convince me to stay. They told me that I was the one bringing happiness and peace to the office, and they did not want to lose this. 

The book of Nehemiah talks about joy at the workplace. At the beginning of chapter 2 we see that king Artaxerxes realizes that something is wrong with Nehemiah because of his sadness.  Nehemiah served the king regularly and had never been sad in his presence. This was his standard!  

As servants of the Lord we should generally be known for having joy in our jobs. Life does however not only bring joyful days. The story of Nehemiah reminds us that God can turn even our sadness into  an opportunity to serve him. 

Before I left my former job, I got the chance to tell my colleagues about the reason for my joy. I want to encourage you also to work and serve the Lord with joy and look for chances to tell others where your joy comes from. At the same time, we can rest assured that God can reveal himself through us on both good days and on days that it can be more challenging to get through. 

Pray 

Lord, help us to trust that you are there with us also in the sad situations that we may face, and that you can make yourself known even in difficult times. We pray that you will give us joy as we go to our work this week.