“… And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8)
By Rich Preuss
It had been a small but intimate Challenge Weekend with 20 men. The smallness made for good discussions and enabled the men to connect and get to know each other.
That afternoon, we all paired up to go for our Emmaus Walk. James, a tradesman, was paired with Barry, a highly accomplished physician. James was struggling with depression and didn’t want to be on the weekend. Barry was struggling mentally, but the extent of his struggles was unknown to us. As they walked, Barry ended up kneeling on the sidewalk sweeping away the dirt with his hands. Those of us who saw it were alarmed.
James heard the Lord tell him to get down on the ground with Barry and do the same thing. The Lord told James this was how he would clothe him in humility. James admitted that he was struggling with pride. The Lord was calling him to break through his pride through this act of humility. James got down next to Barry and started sweeping away dirt and debris with his hands, too.
In his anguish on the Challenge Weekend and on the sidewalk, Barry experienced James’ mercy. That was the beginning of his healing. Barry’s mental condition kept him out of work for almost two years, and he was hospitalized at one point. Barry is now fully functioning and back to work.
What seemed like an odd prompting from the Lord for James to get down on the ground with Barry was not only important to James taking the mantle of humility, but it was a key moment in Barry’s road to recovery. James’ obedience to the will of God helped him grow in humility and overcome some of his pride. It also changed Barry’s life.
Pray
Lord, help us to be obedient to your prompts in our work lives, no matter how insignificant or strange they may seem.
Reflect
The Lord calls us to little things all the time: encourage this person, spend time with that person, offer your help to someone, etc. Am I hearing the prompts from the Lord?
Discuss
At work, am I obedient to all the little prompts from the Lord? Is it hard for me to hear them because I haven’t exercised my faith muscle regularly?
Rich Preuss is a past board member of WorkLight’s Board of Directors. He can be reached at richpreuss@alumni.nd.edu.