A Testimony of Excellence

A few years ago, I heard a youth speaker, Linson Daniel (www.linsondaniel.com), speak about his journey of going into full-time ministry.  He talked about the challenges of leaving his stable, well-paying career and plunging into student ministry, raising financial support, etc.  I’ve heard these stories from endless pastors and Christian leaders over the years.  Every story is inspirational, but this one stood out.

As he related his story, he came to the part where he walked into his manager’s office and submitted his letter of resignation.  His manager immediately started questioning him about what the company had done wrong, why he was unsatisfied, and even offered to raise his salary significantly.  Linson repeatedly told his boss that the company had been great to him and that he was solely leaving to pursue his calling into full-time ministry.

Finally, the manager said, “Linson, you’re one of my best engineers, and I’m sorry to see you go.  Explain to me, though – what is this ministry that you’re leaving all of this behind for?”  Linson proceeded to explain his vision for working with students around the city. His manager then asked the obvious question, “Well, how will you afford to live without your salary?  Who will be paying you?”  Linson replied that he would need to raise financial support from donors to pay his salary.

Long story short, at the end of the conversation, Linson walked out with his first financial supporter.  His story struck a few chords with me:

·         Because of his work ethic and excellence at work, he had a great relationship with his manager

·         Because of this relationship, his manager tried hard to retain him and was naturally curious about what type of opportunity could pull him away

·         In explaining his dream for ministry, Linson was a witness for Christ and for student ministry, and his manager walked away with a newfound respect for Christians and ministers

However, let’s take a step back.  What if the story looked a bit different?  What if Linson hadn’t lived and worked with excellence during his previous years of employment?  What if he wasn’t a model employee and a valued team member?  Now, think forward - when he submitted his resignation, what would his manager’s reaction have been?  What sort of taste would have been left in his mind? 

Here’s the key – Linson’s faithful years of working with excellence was a testimony long before stepping into what we consider “real ministry”.  How about us?  Are we striving for this standard as well?  When we tell the world that we are Christ-followers, their perception is filtered through what they see in the rest of our lives.  If our lives are filled with the opposite of excellence, this is the filter through which they will see our commitment to Christ.

I remember a Christian coworker who was consistently late with his deliverables and sloppy with his work.  However, he also proudly proclaimed his Christianity with his office decorations and a Bible on his desk.  If you were his manager, what would you think about Christianity?  If you walked into his office for the umpteenth time to look over another subpar document and saw a Bible lying wide open on his desk, what would you think about Christ and His followers?

Let’s stop and consider.  How are we living our lives?  Before we proclaim our faith verbally, what is the quality of our practical work?  Are we bringing glory or humiliation to Christ through the quality of what we do (school, work, volunteering, etc.)?

If you submitted your resignation to your company today, would they be sorry to see you go?