This past week was an interesting one. For the last year, I spent it in a bubble. Away from the chaos of town and slightly secluded at the conference center. But in my short time since moving into Wasilla, I went head first into the Thanksgiving / beginning of Christmas shopping season. Retail work will brutally awaken you if you've never experienced it. I've done this before. So it wasn't my first rodeo.
Within all the chaos that goes on, coworkers have questioned why I act the way I do at a retail job. I never really had a clear answer other than, "isn't this what we are supposed to do." While someone may be a little irate over their coveted product missing from the inventory, my natural reaction is to fulfill a guests needs and have them in a better condition when they leave than when they walked in the door (the Boy Scout in me is showing on my sleeve). But it was clearly evident this week there was more to it than just doing my best at work. Last Sunday, the reality of what I'm doing in my current stage in life came to a monumental jaw dropping reality check.
When preparing for first service, I noticed a few people coming through the doors. It wasn't a "I know them personally" but a "I know them because I talked with and sold them something at work." This reality became clearer as the three services went by. Each service, I saw a few people that I had attended to at work. Now, I don't know if they noticed me, but this truth sunk in; "is how I present myself to these individuals at the retail store reflecting who I am on Sunday within the church, but am I also reflecting the God that I am supposed to be representing 24/7."
With serving publicly at a church, life outside church must be genuine. Christians in name are to be "Christ Like". But the reality of my reflecting Christ weighed heavy. This week has been brutal for me. This weighed on me heavily. Each day, the worlds meld more into one. People identify me not just as the electronics guy, but also as that bearded guy they see behind the glass on Sunday. Some guests even called me out as a drummer before realizing I worked at the store. In many ways, people are getting to know me more outside the drum set glass than from behind the glass. It's kind of funny that even though people can see me through the transparency of drum-shield, it actually creates a barrier (kind of like it's intended purpose of dampening sound).
So after some reflection, there's an answer to the question asked by coworkers. It may be something foreign or confusing to understand, and they may not like the answer. But it's blatantly obvious; the way I do my work and life should be a natural reflection of Christ in me. Galatians 5:22-23 points out characteristics that should be evident if I am in step with the Spirit. Hopefully, this shell of a man is a transparency to Christ in me, and what I'm doing is just a natural outflow of Christ's work in me; whether at work or behind the drums.
