I'm writing this week's post from the comfort of a well-worn leather armchair at our local Caribou Coffee shop, Minnesota's version of Starbucks. I sometimes like to do my writing here because, 1) I'm addicted to Dulce De Leche Cafe Latte's (yeah, yeah...I admit...I'm kind of, as Gov. Schwarzenegger would say, a "girly man" when it comes to coffee.), and 2) I enjoy the atmosphere. It's interesting to witness the broad swath of humanity that walks in the doors of these places.
Today a large percentage of the patrons seem to be company recruiters interviewing potential hires. In the forty or so minutes I've been here, I've overheard bits and pieces of three job interviews. In fact, there is one taking place right now at the table five feet to the right of me. A middle aged, confident recruiter type, or could be the Hiring Manager, not sure, is interviewing a twenty-something, probably a soon to be college grad, who is either very nervous, overdosed on caffeine or suffering from acute Attention Deficit Disorder. He's answering each question thrown at him as if he's in the starting blocks of a hundred yard dash and has just heard the crack of the pistol. I'm tempted to slide a note in front of this young guy that reads, B--R--E--A--T--H--E!
I can't be too hard on the poor schmuck. The last time I was in the proverbial "hot seat" I recall being pretty nervous myself. Although overall I think I remained fairly calm and collected, I do remember a severe case of sweaty palms and an involuntary twitch in my right leg. At least I didn't forget to breathe.
It also helped that I went in prepared with canned answers to what I was pretty sure were the types of questions I would be asked: "Why do you think you're qualified for this position?"; "Do you consider yourself a team player?"; "What did you eat for breakfast and what does that say about your work ethic?"...questions like that. For the most part, with the exception I suppose of the last question, I was right on the money. (Hey, you never know when your going to have to answer for what you ate at breakfast.)
There was one other question, though, for which I hadn't prepared, and my response to it almost capsized the entire interview. The lady in the suit across the table simply asked "So Tony, tell me about what drives you?"
What drives me? Hadn't thought of that one. It was more than just a work world question. It bridged over into the spiritual realm and I hadn't prepared to go there. In fact, it scared me to go there. As a Christian interviewing in a secular world, honest answers to questions like that one can get you in trouble.
Initially, my mind raced to land on all the possible answers someone in a secular work environment might expect. What drives me?
Secular answer number one: A desire to be respected in my field.
Secular answer number two: A desire for a sense of personal achievement.
Secular answer number three: The satisfaction that comes with a job well done.
As I began to recite this list of "safe", secular answers, though, the truly honest response kept pressing it's way to the front of my mind, and it definitely was not "safe" and definitely not secular. But because it's not considered "appropriate" today to bring one's faith into the workplace, as quickly as it came to mind I pushed it aside and continued reciting my secular list.
And it was sounding pretty good. The interviewer was smiling and nodding her approval, everything was on track, I was hitting all the right notes. But then it happened. Just when I should have put a period on it and shut up, that pesky answer that had been pressing against the front of my cranium found it's way to my lips. After a long pause, I took a big breath, looked into her eyes and said, "You know, to be honest with you, these are all important, but they aren't really what drive me. Personal fulfillment, job satisfaction, monetary reward, praise for a job well done, the respect from colleagues, they aren't really what I care about. Don't get me wrong, they are nice...but they aren't really what drives me. What really drives me is my internal belief system...my faith in Jesus Christ as my personal Saviour. That drives me regardless of whatever else happens on the job." (Gulp)
There. I had said it. I watched, horrified, as the interviewer stopped smiling, stopped nodding, sat down her pen, and just stared at me. I sat there, heart palpitating and right leg now twitching uncontrollably, thinking, "Now you've blown it Tony! It was going so well, and now your chances for this job are pretty much over!"
Then, after what seemed an eternity, to my surprise she said, "Yes...that really is what is important isn't it? That's what really matters." Every part of my body breathed a collective sigh of relief. Whew! I had found another Christian, or at least a sympathizer.
After the interview ended and I had time to reflect, I mused over the difficulty giving that simple, truthful answer had caused me. Why should it have been so traumatizing? After all, I wasn't trying to push my religion down her throat. I wasn't warning her that the end of the world was near and she must repent or die. I wasn't facing martyrdom unless I recanted my allegiance to Christ. It was a simple admission of the faith that defines who I am...who we are...as Christians. It shouldn't have been so mortifying. But in a culture where tremendous pressure is being exerted to extricate faith from every facet of civic life, it was. Thankfully, it appears the lady interviewing me hadn't yet gotten the memo. A few days later she called to offer me the position.
We're told in John 16:2 that "...the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service."
The truth is, the trauma that this little witness encounter caused me was minuscule compared to the trauma suffered by many other Christians before me; being suffered now by Christians in other parts of the world; and will be suffered by all who profess faith in Jesus in the days yet ahead. If I can't witness even in the little areas now, how will I witness when so much more is on the line? It's a sobering question.
In Revelation 3 our Lord says through the Apostle John to the church at Philadelphia, “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name."
Though it's understood that Jesus is addressing the mission of the larger Church, I believe this also has meaning for us individually. Each of us has an open door set before us through which we, as opportunity presents itself, can witness to the world. The door of opportunity for our individual witness can open in front of us anywhere anytime. It could open during a conversation over the fence with the next door neighbor who asks where we go every Saturday; or the co-worker one cube over who notices that there is something different about us; or, the lady across the table waiting with pen and paper for an answer to the question "what drives you?".
As this world becomes more hostile to all things Christian, giving honest answers to questions like those won't get any easier. Our efforts to respond can often feel pretty feeble and weak. We may not always receive the positive response I received during my last interview. Sometimes, like the poor soul being interviewed at the table next to me, we might even occasionally make a mess of it.
I'm pretty confident that regardless of the outcome of this young man's interview, he won't give up trying to land a job. Nor should we ever give up on walking through the doors our Lord opens before us to share His Name. Whatever the consequences, sweaty palms, twitchy legs and all, we just have to take a deep breath and step through, witnessing to the Faith that drives us.
------