A Change in Perspective…

Mar 14, 2011, Written by Sue Miley

Before I became a Christian I would have said that I had a strong sense of right and wrong; good and bad; and ethical and unethical.  I believed strongly in meeting commitments….not taking credit for another’s idea….never steal….and so on and so forth.

I didn’t want people on my team to get divorced.

I hated to see people not happy in their job.

I wanted to take care of my team and my part of the business.

So what changes with a God view?

What is left when you already believe in what is good, true and right.

My perspective changed.  This perspective I have learned was the rudder that turned this ship.  It was also the anchor that kept it in safe harbor.

With a Christian God view….

I don’t have a propeller of anxiousness powering my energy and achievement.  You know that feeling that if you don’t make something happen everything will just stop.  That nervous energy that has you finish all of your tasks for the day and then start calling your team to see how they are doing on their tasks.  And don’t forget to have just the right amount of tension in your voice to transfer, without saying it, the slightest pressure, that they may not perceive, but they now feel like they need to move a little faster and try a  little harder.  I don’t have that anymore!

I don’t obsess over things outside of God.  (Okay, my husband may argue, but not even close to the scale of my past.)  What I mean by this is I was all things work before becoming a Christian.  I guess I made work my idol.  I would work all of the time.  If I didn’t have something due then I was planning.  I was figuring out how to improve our espresso shot consistency, how to make customers smile, how to develop my team and it never ended.

My identity broadened.  At least my view of myself did.  I no longer found my job position as the center of who I am.  How do I know this changed?  When I used to journal it was always about my job, what position I had, how I would get to the next position.  I used to worry constantly about what others at work thought of me.  I didn’t think about people outside of work.  Now when I journal I always think about what is important to God and if I have disappointed Him.  I pray for his people.  I pray for work, but it is much more likely that I am praying for God’s help.  I pray for Him to work through me.

I live differently.

I don’t worry as much.

I have margin in my day for people.

I focus mostly on family and community.

I crave time alone and with God….to study His Word…to pray.

What The Owner Meant for Good, I Now See as Bad

The owner of the company I used to work for used to say about me:

“Look out for Sue.  When she has an objective to accomplish, you can bet it is going to get accomplished, so you better get out of her way.”

He left off “or she will run over you”!

At least that is what I hear now.  He meant it all as a compliment and that is how I used to take it.

With a God view, it sounds impersonal, myopic, works driven, and you perceive my strong need to perform and accomplish for man.

God’s view is different.  It is right versus wrong and good versus bad.  But, it is also more than that.

It’s a change in perspective.

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Sue Miley

Sue Miley MBA, MA, LPC helps small business owners build successful businesses on a foundation of Christian values. After 20 years in business, and 10 years as a Christian counselor, Sue uses a combination of faith, business and psychology to help clients in business and in life.

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