Day 30: Horrible Bosses

Do you have a favorite boss? 

 

My first job was at Krispy Kreme doughnuts. I remember my boss, his name, what he looked like, etc. He liked that I dressed up for the interview. I was 15 and I thought I was doing something special, so I had to be dressed up. Buuuuuut, he was mean. Not my favorite boss. 

At some point during high school, I worked at Sears Roebuck, Co. I remember my boss, her name, her style of dress. I remember I used to hide out in the kid's department playing Tetris, or curl up beneath racks of clothes to sleep when I felt sick. She always found out. And she was always mad. Not my favorite boss.

To call center bosses, to payday advance place bosses, to audit firm bosses (of which you have many)...I had a lot. And truthfully, I didn't like all that many. Not favorites.

So, when I settled on my favorite boss, I realized he was one of the only bosses I actually prayed for. Like I didn't pray for him to be a better boss. I didn't pray for him to get off my back. I prayed for his life. For his wife and kid. For his stress levels. For his faith. I think that makes him a shoe-in for favorite boss. And he's not really that nice of a guy. He's very abrupt. He delivers biting criticism. And I'm not sure he believes in life after 6pm (because he used to send e-mails at all hours of the night). But he is really smart! He lets it be known if he thinks you're smart, and he always thanks you for your work. He's a good boss. 

What's the point of this? Well, today's reading was material that I've covered extensively in the blog over the years, and I felt I had to dig deep in order to find something "new" to write about. Today's reading is (again) from the Sermon on the Mount, it's Matthew 6:19-34. But I focused on just this piece: 

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

 - Matthew 6:24

And it made me think: who's your favorite boss?

I think this scripture is interesting because to me it's always seem very ho-hum. But, I'm not sure I knew what this scripture meant (probably still don't). But this is my chain of thinking:

Thought #1 - Jesus says no one can serve two masters

Then he goes on to describe what it would be like to serve two masters...  Perhaps that's what I get for being too literal. But I wonder: is it impossible? I mean, in this age of multitasking, why not?

Thought #2: Why God vs. wealth?

Every time I read this I think "You cannot serve God and Satan" seemed like the more logical sentence. But I guess, there's not a ton of people out there who are choosing between those two. "Do I serve God today? ...nah, I have an all-day meeting with Satan and his minions." It just doesn't happen like that. But likewise, it doesn't necessarily go like this: "Do I serve God today? ...Nope, gotta chase that paper!" 

In this scripture, the talk of master and servant is not like today's at-will employment. This description is more akin to slavery. To ownership. To exclusivity. So in that regard you can't have two masters. 

Yet, the way Jesus positioned this implies the following:

You can choose your owner.

And a choice has to be made, because even if you could serve two masters... Even if you could multitask God and Wealth...they have different objectives: 

1. Serve God - build God's kingdom
2. Serve Wealth - build my kingdom 

Two tasks, one set of resources. And this creates the problem Jesus talks about. When you have two tasks and one set of resources, one takes precedence (love and devotion) and the other...is subordinate. One gets done, and the other doesn't.

And it comes down to trust. I don't generally go into word origins, but the word for wealth (mammon) comes from the root word "mn" (no vowels?!) which means something in which one places confidence. And I'm confident of this: Serving God serves you.

And I mean that in an eternal sense (not health, wealth, prosperity).

I could go on and on about the temporary nature of things here on earth. I could talk about moths, rust, thieves. But simply, wealth is a horrible boss.  If you are a slave to wealth, you'll always be a slave. Chasing paper. Building wealth. Losing wealth. Rebuilding it again. Investing and re-investing. Worrying about it. And when you die someone else (who didn't work at all) will get your money. 

I'd rather be God's intern, than wealth's CEO. Because I'm not a slave. But I am. But I'm not: 

I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 

- John 15:15

And this boss is really concerned about my payment:

But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them. 

- Hebrews 11:16

If God couldn't pay me, or if He couldn't deliver...He'd be ashamed! But God has no cause for shame, and He's proud to be called our Master, because He's got it. The city is already prepared. The reward is already prepared. And so in working to build God's kingdom, we one day get to hear these words: 

"Well done good and faithful servant..." and in my imagination God stretches out His arm to usher me through the pearly gates and whispers something along the lines of: 

Your kingdom awaits.