The Office: When No One is Looking

Who are we when we’re away from Shepherds? When we’re away from the eyes of our bosses, our co-workers, the parents and the students?

Can we say that we would talk the same, act the same and make the same decisions if no one was watching us? No one but God, that is. 

At Shepherds College, we care about building good character in our students. We care about giving them the tools they need to maintain their integrity and stay true to who God created them to be - but we can’t do that unless we first have good character ourselves. 

We try to fill our staff with people who feel confident in expressing who they are – all their little quirks and big personalities, all their gifts, talents and abilities, all their curiosity and wisdom – in ways that bring honor and glory to God.

When I was in fourth grade, I had a teacher who liked to talk to us about good health and making good meal choices. As a kid, this kind of talk just sounded like “stuff adults have to say, blah, blah, blah.” I ran into her once in the grocery store and sure enough if she didn’t have a cart full of fruits and veggies. From that day on, her words always carried more weight with me knowing that she was living them out.

When I was in seventh grade, I had a teacher who yelled at students in the hallway for swearing. The students picked on him and laughed, but I always admired his values – until I heard him in the parking lot one day cussing at his car, using words I never heard in the hallway. I looked at him differently after that. I started to question whether or not the lessons he taught were trustworthy, just as I wondered about him.

Character and integrity matter. My husband is fond of quoting a professor from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary who once said, "Be who you is. Be so who you is that you can't be any izzer."  This means at all times, in all situations. Honor God by honoring who you are in Christ - a unique creation filled with His good purpose.

Since this is so important at Shepherds, I wanted to show you a side to the staff that very few people see – who they are when no one is looking. I’ll start with someone you’re familiar with from earlier blogs, our Administrative Assistant, Cathy Harvey:

“I love my job and the outlet of combined organizational skills and creativity it offers.  But, when I am not in the Shepherds College office, guess what I do?  Surprise, surprise, I find the same organizing and creativity flows right into my home life.  What can I say? It’s what I love to do and how God wired me.  First, I have to clean, de-clutter, straighten, and re-organize all the “stuff” that seems to multiply after I leave the house every day, just like I do in the office.  Every day off usually involves some element of cleaning and organizing.  “Less is better” is my mantra!  Purge, sort, decide, and toss is my theme song. Then, clean, clean, clean for a while.

After all that, my mind feels clear to create.  The ideas are endless and sometimes keep me awake at night.  Banners for church, bulletin boards for school, costumes for the grandchildren all offer some left-brained relief as the right side of my brain takes off with all the ideas that have been quietly percolating in the back of my mind waiting to explode in the quiet of my basement “studio”.

For the last few years, my personal choice has been framed photography or crafting journals and stationery using stamps and my own photography.   

What a joy to sit and create mini-masterpieces with paper, glue, photos, pens, and anything else I care to include. 

It is a very special time for me to connect to God.  When I sit very quietly, contemplating a design I feel His presence next to me, whispering ideas and His approval; it almost gives me chills.  My downtime becomes an ‘up’ time of His encouraging thoughts towards me and my gift back to Him, offering what He instilled in me in the first place—the desire to create—just like Him.” 

When I read Cathy’s words about her home life, I am not surprised. I see this side of her at work. She is, at all times, who she is.  And she gives it all to the Glory of God.

 

Shepherds College - Guiding Your Transition to Appropriate Independence. Please visit us at www.shepherdscollege.edu.