週一嗎哪
服事全球工商界
2007.5.28
你知道自己有多特別嗎？

自己家兼辦公室的好處就是時間可以彈性運用。當有需要時，即使在我的工作時間裡，也可以處理個人和家人的事。這讓我有機會，每週一次帶我3歲的孫女去幼稚園。

有一天我去學校接她，一路上她不停地說著那一天發生的事。她的說話技巧比一些成人還要好。當她說到某件事時，她的評論讓我不禁大笑。在我止住笑後，我告訴她：「妳非常特別！」她毫不遲疑，正經八百地回答：「爺爺，你以前不知道我特別嗎？」

我的小孫女很幸福，有愛她的父母與祖父母常常告訴她，她很特別，所以她對這一點毫無疑問。她把自己的特別當作事實接受，正如她知道草是綠的，天是藍的。不幸的是，我們許多在工商專業界工作人，對自己的「特別」不是那麼有把握。

我們可能知道自己有獨特的能力、技巧、經驗和天賦。但我們真認為自己「特別」嗎？在職場上的人常常被認為是「可丟棄的資源」，當他們的價值減少，或有人可用更少的錢做同樣的工作，他們就被迅速丟棄。有些老闆對員工的好表現吝於稱讚，好像讚美是褻瀆，不可說出口。

所以在職場上，我們有些人從未聽過別人說我們有多特別、多寶貴。然而，在聖經裡，我們可以看到宇宙的神認為我們非常特別。例如，我們很熟悉的經文說：「神愛世人，甚至將祂的獨生子賜給他們，叫一切信祂的，不至滅亡，反得永生」（約翰福音3章16節）。這節經文所提到「一切信祂」的人，也包括你！在另一節類似的經文，聖經說：「惟有基督在我們還作罪人的時候為我們死，神的愛就在此向我們顯明了」（羅馬書5章8節）。換句話說，即使我們不值得祂愛，祂還是接納我們。請思想聖經以下經文所說，在神眼中，我們的特別之處：

神對我們有特別的計劃。若有一公司歡迎我們加入，這公司的管理部門對我們有特別的計劃，讓我們擔任這組織中的某個職位。這種感覺實在很棒！在我們想到神之前，神已有清楚的意念－－對我們的生命有特別的計劃。「我知道我向你們所懷的意念，是賜平安的意念，不是降災禍的意念，要叫你們末後有指望。你們尋求我，若專心尋求我，就必尋見」（耶利米書29章11，13節）。

神對我們有特別的呼召。在職場及個人生活中，我們有一個特定的角色，這角色是特別設計來要我們去擔任。知道這一點會帶來極大的滿足與喜樂。聖經說，基督的跟隨者也有非常特別的「工作內容」。「固然是被人所棄的，卻是被神所揀選所寶貴的；你們來到主面前，也就像活石，被建造成靈宮，作聖潔的祭司…」（彼得前書2章4-5節）。

神為我們預備了特別的地方。記得你第一次看到你的辦公室時的興奮感，因為那地方是特別為你預備的。在聖經裡，耶穌也以永恆的觀念說同樣的話：「在我父的家裡，有許多住處；若是沒有，我就早已告訴你們了；我去原是為你們預備地方去」（約翰福音14章2節）。

思想 / 討論題目

1. 當你早上醒來，你是否覺得自己是特別的（請誠實回答）？為什麼？

2. 在你的公司，主管會不會強調員工的特質，讓員工覺得自己有價值，且特別？若你是可以說出別人價值的主管，你是否有抓住機會說？請解釋。

3. 若有人問你，你會說出自己有什麼特質，以顯示自己真的是一個獨特的人？

4. 聖經中有許多經文談到神對信徒的態度，他們在祂眼中的特別之處。這對你有什麼的意義？哪一節經文對你有特別的意義？


註：若你有聖經請看有關此主題的其他經文，請看：
詩篇37篇3-6節，40章1-5節；箴言16章3、9節；約翰福音17章20-26節；羅馬書8章28-31，35-39節
MONDAY MANNA
A service to the business community
May 28, 2007

DO YOU KNOW HOW SPECIAL YOU ARE?

By: Robert J. Tamasy

A benefit of working out of a home office is flexibility. When necessary, I can address personal and family needs during the course of my workday. It also has afforded me unique opportunities, such as when I was taking my then three-year-old granddaughter to her preschool class once a week.

One day I picked her up at the school and listened as she talked non-stop about her day. She already had better conversational skills than some adults that I knew. At one point, her comments made me laugh out loud. After I had regained my composure, I told her, “You are very special!” Without hesitation, she matter-of-factly replied, “You didn’t know that, Pop?”

My little granddaughter is blessed with loving parents and grandparents who indeed frequently tell her how special she is, so she does not doubt that at all. She accepts it as fact, just as she knows grass is green and the sky is blue. Unfortunately, many of us who labor in the business and professional world are not as confident about our “special-ness.”

We may be aware of unique abilities and skills, experience and gifts we bring to our chosen vocations, but do we really regard ourselves as “special”? Too often, people in the workplace are regarded as “disposable resources,” quickly discarded whenever their value diminishes or someone arrives who can do the same work for less money. Some bosses act as if they believe compliments and commendations for good performance are as offensive as profanity, unacceptable to be uttered.

So at least some of us may never hear, in the workplace, how special and prized we are. There is one place, however – the Bible – where we can see without question that the God of the universe regards us as very special. For instance, a familiar passage declares, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). The “whoever” mentioned in that verse includes you! In a similar passage, the Bible states, “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). In other words, even though we are not worthy of His love, God accepts us. Consider more of what the Bible says about our “special-ness” in God’s sight:

God has special plans for us. Doesn’t it feel good to be welcomed into a company knowing the management has special plans for how we will fit into the organization? Long before we had given God a thought, He already had clear intentions – a specific design for our lives. “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future…. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart’” (Jeremiah 29:11, 13).

God has a special calling for us. In the workplace, as in life, knowing we have a definite role, specially designed for us to carry out, can bring incredible fulfillment and joy. The Bible says that followers of Christ also have very special “job descriptions.” “…rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him – you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood…” (1 Peter 2:4-5).

God has a special place for us. Remember the excitement you felt the first time you were shown to your own office or work station, knowing that place had been reserved especially for you? In the Bible, Jesus says the same is true in an eternal sense. “In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you…” (John 14:2).

Robert J. Tamasy is vice president of communications for Leaders Legacy, Inc., a non-profit corporation based in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A. He has coauthored with David A. Stoddard, The Heart of Mentoring: 10 Proven Principles for Developing People to Their Fullest Potential (NavPress) and is author of the newly published book, Business At Its Best: Timeless Wisdom from Proverbs for Today’s Workplace (River City Press). For more information, see www.leaderslegacy.com or www.rivercitypress.net.

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Reflection/Discussion Questions

1. Be honest – when you awoke this morning, did you feel special? Why or why not?






2. At your workplace, is any emphasis given to making employees feel valued and special? If you are in a position of responsibility where you can give expressions of worth to others, do you use that opportunity? Explain your answer.







3. If someone were to ask you, what personal qualities would you cite to show that you truly are a unique, special individual?







4. Several passages from the Bible are listed that express God’s attitude toward those that are His followers – their special-ness in His eyes. What, if anything, does that mean to you? Do any of the verses cited have any particular meaning for you?







NOTE: If you have a Bible and would like to consider some other passages on this topic, here are several to consider:

Psalm 37:3-6, 40:1-5; Proverbs 16:3, 9; John 17:20-26; Romans 8:28-31, 35-39