生活與工作一致

事實是如此嗎?人體的器官，各有獨特的功能，但它們也一起和諧地工作，維持我們身體的健康。工作也應當是我們平衡生活的一部分，就像我們當配偶、父母、祖父母、團體的領袖…等等。

同樣的觀念用在信仰也是如此。很多人把信仰和崇拜劃入整個星期計畫表裡，但是對他們來說，信仰和工作卻是沒有相關的。

然而，週一嗎哪創立的概念就是: 神在週日所說的，跟在週一或是週四下午所說的，聖經原則都是一樣的。在Monday Morning Atheist(週一無神論者)裡，作者Doug Spada(道格．斯巴達)代表我們承認說，許多人都是活在錯誤的分別當中。

「如果我把神推開了，等於是把信仰和生活分開，那我會得到屬靈上的精神分裂症！」

你是週一無神論者嗎?我以前是。很多年來，我在週日參加主日崇拜之後，感到非常被激勵。但每當星期一來到，我又回到職場當我的新聞記者，過著沒有神的生活。後來，我了解到如果我的信仰是真實的，它不應該被限制在所謂的宗教情境裡面，而是應該每分每秒，一天二十四小時，每週七天都與我的生活有關聯才對。

那時我恰巧讀到應用聖經在每天的生活中的經節: 「聖經都是　神所默示的（或譯：凡　神所默示的聖經），於教訓、督責、使人歸正、教導人學義都是有益的，叫屬　神的人得以完全，預備行各樣的善事。」(提摩太後書3章16-17節)

「各樣的善事」對新聞記者、銀行家、財務顧問、醫生、研究人員、學校老師、教授、銷售經理、售貨員、企業執行長、律師、會計師、製造商、工程師、建築師和資訊科技專家都是可以應用的。

最能表現出我們信仰的就是透過我們的行為。耶穌說:「你們的光也當這樣照在人前，叫他們看見你們的好行為，便將榮耀歸給你們在天上的父。」（馬太福音5章16節）如果我們沒有照著我們的信仰和價值觀生活，人們就可以正當的質疑，我們其實不相信自己的信仰。要成為耶穌的跟隨者，我們無法將工作和生活分開。如果耶穌不是我們生活的重心，那祂就根本不存在我們的生活當中。

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 。

But should it be that way? Just as in the human body – where various organs have separate and unique functions, but must work together in harmony to maintain a healthy life – our jobs, as well as our roles as spouses, parents, grandparents, community leaders, etc., may look different but combined they comprise who we are as whole beings.

This concept applies to the realm of faith as well. Here, too, many of us find it common to isolate matters of belief and worship to designated days and times during the week. Faith and work, some people believe, have little if anything to do with each other.

However, from its inception, the underlying premise of “Monday Manna” is that faith in God and the principles presented in the Bible are just as relevant to Monday mornings or Thursday afternoons as they are on Sundays. In his book, Monday Morning Atheist, author Doug Spada speaks for many of us, admitting he lived by this false dichotomy for many years:

“I began to practical spiritual schizophrenia and separate my faith from the rest of my life. I switched God off.”

Are you a “Monday morning atheist”? I was. For years I attended Sunday worship services, feeling inspired, but when the next day arrived, I reported for my job as a newspaper editor and for the most part acted as if God did not exist. Then I realized that if my faith were real, it should not be restricted to so-called “religious” settings, but should connect to my life 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

I came across a passage that spoke directly about the comprehensive application of the Bible to everyday life: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

This emphasized “every good work,” and I understood this applied to my work as a journalist, as well as the work of bankers and financial advisors, physicians and researchers, school teachers and professors, retail managers and clerks, corporate executives, attorney and accountants, manufacturers, engineers, architects and information technology experts.

One of the clearest ways of communicating our faith is through our actions. Jesus said, “let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). If we fail to live according to the faith and values we express, people that observe us have a justifiable right to doubt that we truly believe what we say. Being a follower of Christ means we do not attempt to fit Him into a separate “compartment” of our lives. He is either a central part of everything, or He is not truly a part of our lives at all.

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.