Unwholesome Talk

The way you interact with fellow employees at work can often determine whether you will be the leaven for Christ in your workplace or be viewed as one of the multitudes. Two defining situations in the workplace involve joke telling and discussions about employees and bosses.

If we laugh at off-color jokes, we give permission to the person telling the joke that it is fine to continue this activity in your presence. If we fail to laugh, we discourage this behavior. When someone is about to tell a joke in my presence, I stop them and ask, “Is this a clean joke? If not, I don’t want to hear it.” This will define future situations with that person, and your avoidance of unwholesome talk will get communicated to others in the office because of your response. You might become known as the religious person in your office, but that is okay.

Another situation is how you talk about management in front of other employees. In a workplace it can easily become a “we” versus “them” culture. If this happens, you violate Paul’s command in Titus to honor those who employ you by being obedient and faithful to them, always displaying your integrity (see Titus 2:9–10).

Remember, you are always a witness at work, whether you use words or not.

Question: What kind of witness are you at work?

Father, help me be a good witness to those I work with daily. May my words encourage my coworkers.