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Generosity in the Workplace

"And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day." Deut 5:15

The Sabbath is usually seen as a ceremonial law that Christians don’t need to worry about today except to see that they rest adequately. But the Sabbath was not just a ceremonial law, it was also a law of social justice.

In the Exodus account of the Ten Commandments, the basis for the Sabbath was the creation event, indicating that Sabbath was built into creation and was not just a part of the Law of Moses. It indicated that mankind was created to have a rhythmic break once a week.

In the Deuteronomy account the basis of the Law was the oppression that the Israelites suffered in Egypt when they were not permitted to have a weekly rest. They were told to ensure that such oppression was not practiced in Israel and that all people were allowed to have adequate rest.

Today, the Sabbath is seen as a personal discipline of giving time for God and the aspect of ensuring rest for others is ignored. Many Christians who live in third world countries do not give their helps at home, who come under the unorganized sector, any weekly break in their work. They do not see this as necessary, as they do not understand the Sabbath Law as a social justice law to be practiced by all Christians.

In corporate settings with an eye on the bottom line, teams in the Third World are often understaffed and overworked, resulting in working round the week without a week off. When we work in such organizations, it becomes a moral duty for us to fight this oppressive and pernicious practice and see that people are given adequate time to spend on recreation, with family and other activities. Otherwise, their health suffers, their quality of family life deteriorates, harming their children.

If we are truly generous, we would see that people who work with us prosper in all parts of their life.

Do your team members have adequate rest in their lives?