Submission Part 3

“Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men.” (Ephesians 6:5-7)

Last summer following my layoff from 24 years of software engineering, I took a temporary job working for my chiropractor when I determined that I wanted to take the plunge of changing careers to something more fulfilling. The doctor needed a new receptionist and it was a way to add structure and social contact to my life, make a little money, and try something more people oriented while putting together a transition plan. It was difficult because he had a much more authoritative style and a different approach to his employees than I was used to. In my software engineering job I had a lot of autonomy; my bosses trusted me and I took the initiative and only went to them when there was a problem I could not handle. In contrast, every aspect of the receptionist job was prescribed, including scripts for what I was supposed to say in various situations, and Dr. Dan was not used to trusting his employees (a concept that was completely foreign to me). At first I struggled mightily under what felt to me like a heavy and oppressive yoke that I had taken on; I was angry and resentful. However, I realized that I did ask him for the job, so I did my best to adjust to it by reading all the passages in the Bible about master/servant and master/slave relationships so that I could be a better employee. I came to see my submission to my boss and the job requirements as an opportunity to become more like Christ’s example in Philippians 2:5-8. A funny thing happened. As I stopped resisting Dr. Dan and became more willing to do whatever he asked, he started giving me more freedom, and by the end of several months we were working well together as a team. What had been a very frustrating experience for both of us at the beginning turned into a satisfying and productive working relationship.