Faith Around the Watercooler: 30 Day Devotional for Cubicle Dwellers

By Ozie Wayne Thomas

On the Serengeti, the watering hole brings together animals great and small. Sometimes it is peaceful, but other times conflicts flare. In the office, the watercooler brings together accountants, marketers, operations, and many others. They bring their hopes, fears, and worries as they stop by for a drink. They may pretend all is well, but deep down, a storm may be brewing.

This modern office environment can be draining. Days are full of meetings, phone calls, spreadsheets, slide decks, and sidebar conversations. After all those tasks are completed, the real work has to be handled, and workers can quickly find themselves worn out. Many times, the watercooler is the only oasis in the office jungle. It provides a place of refreshment and fellowship with other team members. While the cool water's relief is temporal, the good news is the Good News absolutely applies to the office.

Faith Around the Watercooler shares how cube dwellers can apply Sunday's lessons to the week's office problems. Topics from trust to humility to attitude are unfolded and discussed. This devotional book includes thirty typical office situations, and it shares biblical advice for each scenario. It leaves readers with a few thought-provoking questions and scriptures for further meditation. This book will encourage readers with its conversational approach. Grab a cup of coffee, lock your computer, and spend a few minutes to see Jesus at work!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: May 2, 2022
• ISBN: 9781639617340

Book preview

Day 1

Does It Matter?

Sound familiar?

You get up each morning and head to the office. You spend the day talking with colleagues and customers. You work to solve problems, and at the end of the day, you know you worked hard. A few action items are now off the list, and for a moment, you feel accomplished. However, a nagging question calls from the corner of your mind. It asks, Do your work and effort really matter? Are you making a difference?

Need some help?

You are not alone in chewing on the question. As a Christ follower, you long to store your rewards in heaven, but you are not sure if selling another toaster qualifies as eternal. Rest assured that your work does matter, and it is a gift from God. Obviously (and importantly), it enables you to provide for yourself and your family. Secondly (and more importantly), it is an environment where you can encourage other people and point to the good news. Working your daily grind allows you to build authentic relationships, and those relationships open channels to make eternal differences in people’s lives. Your work’s true value is not uncovered in your job description. Instead, you make an eternal difference in how you use that job to reach others. You are a missionary who just happens to be selling toasters.

Something to chew on

How are you intentionally building authentic relationships?

Can others see Christ in how you approach your work?

Scripture

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (Matthew 6:19–21)

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (Matthew 28:19–20)

Day 2

Is Anyone Listening?

Sound familiar?

For the last hour, you listened to senior leaders unveil the new company growth strategy. Their confidence and excitement were palpable. The leaders proclaimed how their consultant led them to the discovery during the executive off-site. They ended the meeting by saying the competitive code is cracked. While your colleagues are optimistic, you are shaking your head. You proposed the same idea eighteen months ago, but no one was interested. Your plan was simply shelved and forgotten. Now you are left frustrated and wondering if anyone listens.

Need some help?

The situation is maddening but common. Like most people, it probably makes you want to clam up. However, Jesus calls us to respond differently. He tells us to turn the other cheek rather than retaliate. This requires you to continue contributing your best. He also says to give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, so we owe our current business leadership our thoughts even if they fall on deaf ears.

The situation is still discouraging, so you may want to build a small network of believers to lean on in the office. Their like-minded friendship can be uplifting and comforting when the office seems challenging. More importantly, know that God is listening when no one else is, but you need to take time to talk with Him. Just consider, you can always appeal to the real boss, the King of kings!

Something to chew on

How do you respond to adversity in the office?

Are you talking with God? Would He say you are listening?

Scripture

But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. (Matthew 5:39)

And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar’s, and unto God the things which be God’s. (Luke 20:25)

Day 3

What a Week!

Sound familiar?

You look up at the clock, and it reads 4:49 p.m. To you, it simply says eleven minutes until a two-day reprieve from getting kicked around. Monday started with your boss marking up your report and questioning your abilities to deliver it successfully. Tuesday ended with a customer using you as a political scapegoat. Wednesday was tied up in meetings where the stakeholders circled each other like