A Spiritual Experience at Work
No matter what your job is or no matter how much you like or dislike it, you have the opportunity to turn it into a spiritual experience. St. Francis gives us some guidance about how to do this when he said:
“Make me a channel of your peace.”
If we can apply this ideal to our jobs, then our day at work can become a form of spiritual devotion. While prayer and meditation are powerful and effective, in order for us to reach our full potential as human beings, it may be helpful to begin to see all aspects of our life, including our jobs, as an opportunity to have a spiritual experience.
For example, how many times have you ever noticed your coworkers stressed out, angry or in the need of some extra help. What if you approached your colleagues from a mindset of peace and service by giving them the extra help or simply asking them if you can get them a cup of coffee? Everyday there is an opportunity to emote love and peace to our coworkers. These simple acts of kindness do not go unnoticed and their effects are both practical and profound.
The interesting paradox is that by approaching work with a mindset of peace, service and giving to others, the more we will receive on both a spiritual and objective level. For instance, your coworkers will begin to notice that you are a source of peace for them throughout the day and be that much more inclined to help you in return when the time comes, or give you more responsibility and think of you when it is time for a promotion. Additionally, people are more effective workers, have increased creative thinking skills, and increase their overall productivity when they are experiencing peace, love or joy.
By recontextualizing your job as a form of spiritual devotion, the pressure that you may feel throughout the day begins to go away because you are focused on serving others or some higher purpose instead of seeking some end result or gain for yourself. This practice can actually become a form of meditation if we ask God or our Spirit to take over for us throughout the work day. For example, instead of over-thinking every little detail about how to get the job done, we can simply allow our Spirit to make the decisions throughout the day for us by trusting our inner guidance and intuition.
It is easy at times to separate our spiritual and work life. However, if we can begin to view our job as an opportunity for personal, emotional and spiritual growth, then the job can become an authentic spiritual experience.