Every December we hear about a battle over the word “Christmas,” as some businesses have gone to the more generic “Happy holidays” type of greeting. On one hand, the holiday season represents a great opportunity to live out your faith at work in a non-aggressive way, but is there a point at which you have gone too far?
Thanksgiving and Christmas present some unique opportunities to be a Christian light in your workplace. If you are sending personal (not employer-sponsored) Christmas cards, including a bible verse or biblical reference can be a natural way to let people know what is your “reason for the season.”
If your church sponsors a Christmas event – be it a party, a musical or a spectacular drive-through light display – share some fliers with your coworkers who have small children. Those events tend to be a great family activity and they’re usually free – a home run for pretty much any parent.
Christmas is also a great chance to invite a coworker to share a holiday meal if you know he or she will be alone during the holidays. Yes, it’s a little more work to invite extra people, but it’s a great way to follow Christ’s example. It also sets an excellent example for your own family.
If you do invite non-Christian friends, make them feel welcome by trying to make the time while they’re with you “seeker-friendly” to some extent. You don’t have to secularize your holiday by any means – just save the marathon family prayer session for after your guests leave.
When considering ways to share your faith at work, your general guideline should be to pray about it, and if it feels wrong, just don’t do it. The answer will differ by situation and person.
If you sense that someone might want to talk more about your faith, wait for them to approach you. You can help make yourself inviting by drop code words, like mentioning that you went to church or had a Bible study when asked about your weekend.
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How do you handle Christmas at the office? Do you feel more or less comfortable talking about your faith during the holidays?
For more practical advice about the holidays, read Staying Sane During the Holidays
Click here to learn more about the author Diane Paddison
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