The workplace has become a toxic place where people from different social, academic, religious, economic, and psychological backgrounds come together and are expected to work together. It’s not only the workplace; it’s even in church, parliament, social gatherings, and right here on social media. People come carrying their garbage: past hurts, abuse, emotional scars, broken hearts, lost hope, and failed relationships. We then need to work to achieve some results, but it all seems hard. The workplace has its fair share of burdens: arrogant colleagues, pompous bosses, irate customers, and annoying suppliers. We have to work anyway.
I don’t say people should neglect their problems when they come to work, but they must learn to work with them. Definitely, we can’t forget that our loved ones are sick. We can’t forget that we have the burden of bills beyond our income, and landlords are on our necks. We can’t overlook that the bus that goes home broke down, and we have to find means to reach home. But that should not reduce our performance at work; otherwise, the same problems will only escalate.
When we go to church, we appear Christ-like, even on empty stomachs. We have to give and support the work of God from our empty pockets. Once in church, we expect to be healed, blessed, comforted, and loved, but we still get hurt and hated. We still come out of church broke. The priest needs food from the same hungry brethren; his children need the sneakers that the believer cannot afford. We still have to fellowship anyway.
We go to weddings to witness the union of new couples when our own marriages are on the rocks. We can’t stay home when a neighbour is getting married just because the wife is nagging or the husband is drinking like a divorced sailor. We have to carry our garbage, but remember not to offload it on others or show everyone what we are going through. We smile and laugh and dine and drink with others, but back home we have a reality to face. That’s how the world is.
As leaders at work, we need to lead by example despite failing in our relationships at home. We work with people’s money when they have nothing to put on the table; their wallets are dry. We have to be faithful anyway. Pastors go through challenges, divorces, family issues, and being broke, but they have to preach peace, love, prosperity, happy marriages, and happy families. That’s the way it is, and we just have to live with such problems. Homes are broken, families are broken, and misery is everywhere. And we just have to live anyway.
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