Unravel Hidden PotentialUzorak

Help them bloom

I walked into the office of the company head with trepidation. Strange, considering that just a few days ago I had been asked to go to the UK on a three-month assignment, in my very first year as a software professional. I had been on top of the world − until this moment. I had just found out that this assignment came with a caveat: that I would not leave the company for five years. I was informed that my refusal would embarrass the management. However, I had not been asked to sign a service commitment/contract while joining. So, I put in my papers. I walked out jobless but free.

I took time to reflect. I was hurt, felt rejected, and exploited. I realized freedom comes with a cost, and that success is not about a great job and a fancy salary. I resolved not to let anyone go through what I had experienced.

‘Work’ was God's idea from the beginning (Gen 2:15) – for man to work alongside Him and for Him. And to that end, we are called to create an environment where people, created in His image, can work with dignity and respect, where their worth is recognized, where we help sharpen their skills and shape their careers, where we value their family life and where they have the freedom to leave.

Paul calls us to work wholeheartedly as for the Lord, and not for men (Col 3:23), reminding us that our work ethic needs to be very different from the world’s, where being successful overrides everything else.

This is how we provide opportunities to allow people to live lives to their fullest – offering them hope and a future, as Jeremiah reminded the exiles in Babylon of God’s plan. (Jer 29:11)

In this endeavor, we will face setbacks, people may fail us, or financial constraints may play spoiler, but it must never deter us.

To finish my story, it took me a while to find another job. A few years later, this company sent me on an assignment to the UK for one year, with no strings attached!

Dear Lord, help me to create an environment where we can see each other as created in Your image.