This I Believe

I sincerely believe that every human being is a soul, and therefore precious in the sight of God and valuable in our own sight, no matter what its merits or regardless of its achievements or position in life. That belief gives my business life a deeper meaning and adds a Christian challenge to each workday. For I’m not dealing with individuals as just people. Outside they wear the identification of clients, tradesmen, and coworkers. Yet inside, each one of them is just like I am: just another soul trying to grow nearer to his God and to be more helpful to his fellow man.

My daily Christian challenge is first to remember that “inside religious similarity” of all of us, in each business contact. Then I try to act toward each individual as one soul to another, and not just as one businessman to another. I don’t always succeed, yet each morning, each hour, or with each telephone call, I can take a fresh start towards that goal. Every day provides so many opportunities for adding Christianity to my working contacts. I can show true brotherhood to that new employee. How? By stopping at his desk and asking him how his new job is coming. Can I answer any questions he has or loan him books and magazines about the business? Yes, I can take him to lunch and make him feel more at home in our company. I can help extend a Christian welcome to our business visitors by putting a Bible in the reception room. What a useful place for one of our extra Bibles from home. Reading the reception room Bible gives our business callers the comfort and inspiration of God’s word while they’re waiting to be seen. Yes, it also helps to keep a Bible in my office, for reading, reference, and reminding. I need reminding during the day that my religion is a Monday through Saturday challenge, not just a fine, respectable Sunday habit.

I believe that one of my greatest opportunities is with my business neighbors, those who work for me or with me. Here I can be quick to praise, slow to criticize, and constant in showing sincere appreciation for their assistance. As a Christian, I can be more understanding of the other person’s point of view. I have so many chances of making their daily work more interesting, more satisfying, and more rewarding. Being blessed with an efficient and cooperative secretary, I can write to newspapers, magazines, and broadcasting stations, thanking them for their use of religious editorial material. I feel that is my duty, to let these great molders of public opinion know that I appreciate the space and time they devote to the faith of our fathers.

I believe that my workday gives me unusual opportunities for helping to stimulate group support, like the old clothes drive for the World Council of Churches, Care, or the Red Cross blood bank. And I can encourage those fellow workers who are doing the extra jobs of collecting or soliciting funds for charities.

One great test of my religious faith comes after a difficult day’s work. Things had not gone as planned, nothing seems to have been accomplished, or the day was filled with trouble, grief, and disappointments. In between leaving the office and my front door, can I wipe that frustrating business day out of my mind? Or greeting my family, can I get a fresh start as a father and husband? Or because of the bad business day, do I take it out on my family by being cross, sensitive, and irritable? That’s one of the toughest tests of trying to take my religion right through the entire business day.

To some, these simple ways of living religion in my workday life will sound obvious, inconsequential, or even corny. Yet this I believe: things like these have made my religion mean more to me, do more to me, and I hope do more for my business-day neighbors.