Bootstrap

God-Talk at the Office

Blog / Produced by The High Calling
Godtalk postimage

“Someone asked me an unexpected question at work today,” I mention to my husband, Brad, as we stand in the kitchen with our backs to one another. He stir-fries chicken at the stove; I chop broccoli and scallions at the counter, the chef’s knife tapping the wood cutting board like a woodpecker against an oak tree. I describe how a colleague, someone I’d seen around the building but never met, had popped her head into my office that afternoon, how she’d hesitated at the doorway, blushing and shifting from one foot to the other.

“She told me that she had an awkward question,” I say, turning to face Brad’s back, “and then she asked me if I love Jesus.”

“So what’d you say?” my husband asks over the sizzle of the stir-fry.

“I thought she was going to ask me about the billboard campaign. I never expected the Jesus question,” I add, shaking my head and turning back to the cutting board.

“What’s wrong with that? What’s wrong with asking if you love Jesus?” asks my seven-year-old son, Rowan, looking up from his math homework at the kitchen counter. I’d forgotten he was there, perched on the bar stool; I didn’t know he’d been listening.

“Well,” I hesitate, “nothing really. We talked a little bit about God and church. It was fine. All I’m saying is that I didn’t expect it, because I don’t usually talk about Jesus at work.”

“But why not?” Rowan presses.

“Well, not everyone believes the same things we do about God,” I say, laying the knife on the wood. “And so we don’t want to make someone feel bad or uncomfortable by talking about something they might not believe in. So a lot of times we don’t talk about God or religion at all at work.”

“But do you love Jesus?” Rowan asks, looking me straight in the eye as I sweep the diced scallions into a bowl.

“Yeah, of course I love Jesus. I just didn’t expect the question, that’s all,” I answer, sighing. “Here,” I say, handing him a pile of paper napkins and a handful of silverware, “put these on the table, please.”

Later that night as I lay awake, I realize with a start that I’d never even answered my colleague’s question. When she’d asked me if I love Jesus, I’d laughed nervously and replied, “Wow, no one’s ever asked me that at work before!”

As I stare at the ceiling, my face lit by a square of moonlight on the pillow, I fret about my reluctance to discuss Jesus at work—even with another believer. And then I’m struck with how quickly I shut down Rowan’s questions at dinner. I might have given him the wrong impression. I don’t want him to conclude that it’s wrong to talk about Jesus at the office. I don’t want him to be embarrassed or afraid to talk about God in certain situations. I don’t want him to be…like me.

Image by Daniel Horacio Agostini. Used with permission. Sourced via Flickr. Post by Michelle DeRusha.

Related: Is It Taboo to Talk About Your Beliefs at Work?

{ body #wrapper section#content.detail .body .body-main blockquote p { font-size: 0.875rem !important; line-height: 1.375rem !important; } }