This is the final part in a 3 part series on Antidotes for the Monday Blues.
The main idea has been that we are spiritual beings who live in a flesh-and-blood world and as such our relationship with God and life as Jesus followers are to permeate our work. I’m not saying we should shout Bible verses in the lunchroom. No, the idea is to work as though God were your boss (1 Corinthians 10:31), to look for ways to care for others at work (Philippians 2:4), to commune with God while at work, to be thankful for what God has done for us and to remember that satan prowls around looking to discourage, distract and disappoint us.
In this Part 3, we’ll consider beliefs we carry to work that underlie the feelings we often have at work. 
These are more than likely beliefs that we don’t think about consciously, but rather they lay quietly beneath the surface of all our activity.
Our feelings about work are often tied to deeper beliefs that are not true.
Our emotions at work – despair, jealousy, half-heartedness, pessimism, vindictiveness, disinterest, frustration, disappointment – often are rooted in some belief we hold. Here are a few examples:
- If you have a fearful emotion about work (perhaps your company is not doing well financially), it might be that you hold an underlying belief that God won’t provide for you…if you’re fearful about the future of your work environment pray for a stronger trust in God and His care for you. Seek our scripture that states who God is and how much He cares for you such as:
- Zephaniah 3:17 The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.
- Matthew 6:26 (NIV) Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
- If you have a pessimistic feeling about work, the underlying belief might be that “work is a waste of time” or “I can’t make an impact here, so why try”. Work isn’t a waste of time. It’s divinely appointed. At a recent mens conference, I was reminded that work was instituted by God before the fall of man. In other words, work is an institution founded by God, so it’s meant to be of value or He would not have created it. It gives us a sense of honor, dignity, of being valued and making a contribution toward a larger good.
- If you are being ridiculed at work or you’re feeling depressed, perhaps your underlying belief could be “I probably messed something again….I’m really stupid.” The truth is that your work does not define who you are. Who you are is established by God. Work does not add to or take away from your value as a loved child of God.
- In the passage below Samuel was sent by God to anoint a new King. Samuel thought Jesse’s son Eliab was to be King because of his stature.
- 1 Samuel 16:7 (ESV) But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him (Eliab). For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
- God is more interested in and values more highly your heart…your motives…your love for others, your humility, your surrender to Him. That is what gives you true value, not your achievement or performance at work. You may need to improve some skills to provide excellent results for your company, but those results (or lack thereof) do not define your value as a person.
Next time you have a negative emotion about work, ask yourself what the underlying belief is you are holding onto that feeds that negative emotion.
Ask yourself if you are trusting God in that moment or if you are looking at the mountain rather than the mountain mover. Then, ask God to “renew your mind” (Romans 12:2) so that you see yourself and your work the way God does.
