你和你的工作對神很重要

或許你是個很有成就的人，週遭的人都對你的表現很認同。或許你也多次升遷，在聚會當中被認為是傑出人士，你牆上的匾額和獎狀多到連牆面都擺不下。

或者你不是我說的那種人。你很認真工作，非常努力地做到最好，但是卻很少人認同你。我想我們大部分都是第二種人。當超級巨星、高成就的人、頂尖的執行長受到肯定時，其他的人則是默默無聞在辛苦地工作著。甚至有時候我們會想自己是不是一個失敗者?我們的工作有什麼成績?是否有人會在乎我們手上的工作?在這種時刻，請記得一件事:當一個沒有聚光燈的無名英雄並不可恥，因為通常就是這些無名英雄們在推動這個世界、使每件事在軌道上順利地運轉。

你是否曾經關節受傷過?或許是扭到膝蓋、或指頭。我兩個都經歷過。在我受傷之前，我壓根沒想過我的左膝蓋或是右拇指。但是，當膝蓋受傷時，那種痛就像是一根長針刺進膝蓋裡、或者當我想用右手轉門把的時候，就會注意到我的左膝和右拇指的存在。能正常運作的健康關節不會引起我們的注意，但是受傷的關節會。

想像當一個交響樂團和諧地演奏時，除非是某一種樂器被指定獨奏，不然沒有一種樂器會特別地突出。如果你在聽交響樂時，有特別注意到鋼琴或是小提琴的聲音，你就知道事情不大對勁了。

這就是為什麼大部分的人在職場上沒有經常受到注視，那是因為他們盡到他們的職責而且沒有犯錯。一個老闆就曾經告訴我，如果每一件事情都進行的很順利的話，員工就不會聽到老闆的聲音。也許對於需要鼓勵的人來說，這不是什麼好消息，但是今天的職場的實際狀況就是如此。如同一句諺語所說的: 「發出軋軋聲的輪子才需要潤滑油。」

聖經有幾句話可以提醒我們：當我們感覺到不被重視或不被感謝時，我們應當如何回應?

第一、我們是偉大計畫裡的一部分: 雖然我們沒有被單獨表揚，但要確信自己對整體的成功是很重要的。一個人的心臟沒有肺或是大腦是沒有辦法正常運作的，反之亦然。「 就如身子是一個，卻有許多肢體；… 身子原不是一個肢體，乃是許多肢體。… 若全身是眼，從哪裏聽聲呢？若全身是耳，從哪裏聞味呢？ 但如今，　神隨自己的意思把肢體俱各安排在身上了。若都是一個肢體，身子在哪裏呢？ 但如今肢體是多的，身子卻是一個。」(哥林多前書12章12-20節)

第二、承認我們是彼此需要的: 我們貢獻給企業，別人的貢獻也讓我們受益，對此我們要心存感激。「兩個人總比一個人好，因為二人勞碌同得美好的果效。若是跌倒，這人可以扶起他的同伴；若是孤身跌倒，沒有別人扶起他來，這人就有禍了。再者，二人同睡就都暖和，一人獨睡怎能暖和呢？有人攻勝孤身一人，若有二人便能敵擋他；三股合成的繩子不容易折斷。」(傳道書4章9-12節)

第三、知道我們的工作對神來說很重要: 再用交響樂團的比喻，我們只要知道一件事情，那就是:在偉大的指揮家和唯一的觀眾－神面前，我們都是獨奏者，只演奏給祂聽。「無論做甚麼，都要從心裏做，像是給主做的，不是給人做的，因你們知道從主那裏必得著基業為賞賜；你們所事奉的乃是主基督。」(歌羅西書3:23-24)

勞勃．泰默西是領袖資產協會的傳播部副部長，這是一個總部在美國喬治亞州亞特蘭大的非營利組織。他也是一個有40年經驗的退休新聞工作者。他寫過一本書「最佳狀態的商業：箴言給今日職場的歷久彌新智慧」（Business At Its Best: Timeless Wisdom from Proverbs for Today”s Workplace）。他也與David A. Stoddard合著一本書「導師之心」（The Heart of Mentoring）。要了解更多資訊, 可上網www.leaderslegacy.com 或上他的部落格www.bobtamasy.blogspot.com以及www.bobtamasy.wordpress.com 。

Then again, maybe you are not that person. You work hard, striving to do your best, but recognition – if and when you receive it – is rare. Most of us fit into this second category. While the “superstars,” high performers and top executives receive the acclaim, many others toil in virtual obscurity. Perhaps on occasion we even lapse into a “pity party,” wondering what difference our work makes or whether anyone cares about what we do. At such times, remember one thing: There is no shame in being an unsung hero, one that fails to get noticed. In fact, “unsung heroes” often keep things running smoothly.

Have you ever injured one of your joints – twisted a knee, or sprained a thumb? I have done both. Prior to the injuries, I never thought about my left knee or my right thumb. But when pain in the knee felt like a long needle was sticking in it, or when I attempted the simple act of turning a doorknob with my right hand, I became acutely aware of both. Healthy, functional joints are not supposed to be noticed.

Or consider an orchestra. When being played harmoniously, individual instruments do not stand out unless their musicians have been assigned solos. In the midst of a symphony, if you notice a violin or flute when it is not supposed to stand out, you know something is wrong.

This is one reason many people in the workplace do not receive attention very often. They do their jobs without calling attention to themselves by failure to contribute their part to the overall effort. As one former boss once told me, “If you do not hear from me, assume everything is fine.” That might not seem assuring to those needing occasional encouragement, but that is reality in today”s business and professional world. As the adage goes, squeaking wheels are the ones that get the grease.

So how do we react when we feel underappreciated or undervalued? The Bible offers some suggestions:

Remember we are part of a greater unit. Even when we are not being singled out for exemplary performance, we can be assured we are important to the overall effort. A human heart cannot function without the lungs or brain, and vice versa. “The body is a unit…. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be…. As it is, there are many parts, but one body" (1 Corinthians 12:12-20).

Recognize our need for each other. Just as the overall enterprise needs our contributions, we benefit from and should appreciate the contributions of others. "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work…. Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken" (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12).

Realize your work matters to God. To use the orchestra analogy again, sometimes we must accept playing solely for the Conductor, an audience of one – God. But that is all we need. “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord…you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward” (Colossians 3:23-24).

Robert J. Tamasy is vice president of communications for Leaders Legacy, Inc., a non-profit organization based in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A. A veteran journalist, he has written Tufting Legacies (iUniverse); Business At Its Best: Timeless Wisdom from Proverbs for Today”s Workplace (River City Press); and has coauthored with David A. Stoddard, The Heart of Mentoring (NavPress). For more information, see www.leaderslegacy.com or his blogs, www.bobtamasy.blogspot.com and www.bobtamasy.wordpress.com.