Workplace WitnessSample

Full of Grace

It’s likely some of the Colossian believers receiving Paul’s letter would’ve managed households, and some would’ve worked in the city’s famous textile industry. Paul encourages them to make the most of every opportunity as they find themselves working amongst people who don’t know Jesus, then he goes on to say, ‘Let your conversation be always full of grace…’

Grace is often defined as the unmerited favour by which we receive abundantly more than we deserve – but it’s more than that. It’s the power of God flowing into us, through us, and out to the people around us. When our conversations are full of grace, they reveal something of who God is: people feel safe around us, we build trust, and we prepare the ground for future, deeper conversations. This means every conversation can count, because every conversation can connect.

Still, it’s possible you avoid small talk at the office because you see it as inauthentic or a waste of time when there are way more important things that need doing. But I’ve come to see that small talk needn’t be trivial, annoying, or an unnecessary distraction. It’s a vital point of connection. Grace-filled small talk meets people where they are, as they are, affirming them and showing empathy and interest.

Some of us are great at small talk; some of us need to work on it. Either way, we can’t get into deeper discussions about following Jesus unless we’ve laid the relational groundwork of gracious small talk. Consider whether you know much about the passions and pastimes of your colleagues, or what’s really going on in their lives. Without being nosy or unprofessional, try to get comfortable with the idea of opening up these kinds of convos.

There are two fundamental skills we can practise to reveal God’s grace in our small talk conversations. The first is listening. Remember: body language is part of how we communicate our undivided attention. The second skill is curiosity. In His earthly conversations, Jesus asked loads of questions. We read about Him striking up a conversation with two disciples on the road to Emmaus. He asked them questions to which He obviously knew the answers, simply because He wanted to let them use their own words to speak about their own experience. Learn to differentiate between shallow questions that give you information about a person and deep questions that help you understand that person’s history, hurts, and hopes.

Whether you’re an extrovert or an introvert, you have countless opportunities to practise bringing grace into your daily workplace conversations. Next time you find yourself caught up in small talk, ask God to flood the conversation with His grace – and notice how that changes the way you feel about the conversation and the person standing in front of you. You don’t need to have all the answers or make grand evangelistic gestures. Simply stay curious, and be interested in people: you’ll be known as someone who really sees others, really hears them, and loves them well.