"You Have A Great Day, Mommy?"

Last week I wrote about how difficult it has been for my son to transition to a new classroom at school.  I mentioned how at the end of every day, after crocodile tears every morning, Kemper says, "I had a great day."  Last night, on the way home from church after a meeting, Kemper said, "Mommy, I had a great day.  You have a great day, mommy?"  "Well, yes I did have a pretty good day. Thank you for asking," I replied. 

I spend a good portion of my day at my desk reading emails, planning lessons, organizing programs, or working on worship.  These are things I like to do, things I like to think I do well.  And I always take joy in checking things off my 'to-do' list.  But that isn't what made my day great.  The thing that makes my job most enjoyable during the day in and day out tasks of ministry are the people I work with.  Collectively, we get a lot done in a day's time, but we are sure to have fun while we do it.  Sure, there are tough situations to work through, problem solving to be done.  But, in the midst of that, there is an undercurrent of friendship and support. 

I saw a question a few days ago asking, "what do you and your staff do for self-care?"  The biggest thing we do is support one another.  We listen to one another and offer support to each other as we can, whether the conversation is professional or personal, we are present for each other.  I cannot tell you what a gift that is when you are having a hard day and you just need someone to confide in (or vent to). 

Second, we like to laugh here!  If there was not some battle of wits taking place over sports teams or general sarcasm, I would really be concerned.  Lord help us if our new head of staff does not have a sense of humor (PNC, please read this is a must!).    I think that we work so well together because we are willing to share a joke and tease one another all in good fun.

Finally (although this is not an exhaustive list), we trust one another to do our jobs.  There is no need for any micromanaging in this church office.  We have a firm grasp on what our responsibilities are (which isn't easy because it has changed up quite a bit in the last year) and we trust one another to follow through on what needs to be done.  In addition, if one of us becomes overwhelmed and needs help, we know we can ask one another.  If someone is out for a personal matter, illness, or vacations, we all work together to fill in the gaps.  Because we know that health and family are important, in fact they come first. 

So, yes, because of the staff I am blessed to be a part of, I had a great day.  Most of my work days are great days.  Not everyone can say that they walk into work to do a job they love among people that they love, and for people that they love.  I know I am very fortunate.

What about you?  Do you have a healthy work environment? In what ways do you and your co-workers maintain a positive atmosphere? If you don't have that experience, how does your faith inform how you interact with your colleagues?  What could you do to enhance the experience to become more positive?