“He added, ‘Name your wages, and I will pay them.’”     Genesis 30:28 (NIV)

     Now who would not want to hear these words come out of the mouth of an employer?  These words are very rare, indeed.  But hearing words like these can only mean that the employee’s true value has been identified and recognized.

     Many of us may not feel that we are valued and respected for what we do at work.  However, the question that can be bounced back is, Have you given them a reason to value and respect you?  Let’s look at five key qualities that will change any boss’ outlook on an employee’s true value.

Equitable

     Employers seek individuals who are honest.  They want employees who are honest with how they spend their time when they are “on the clock.”  They are honest with how they use the company’s resources.

     Equitable employees should also be fair and unbiased.  They are observant of how they treat their clients, customers, fellow employees.  They willingly treat everyone the same, rather than playing favorites toward some of the people with whom they come in contact.

Efficient

     Employers also want employees who are ready to go when they come in to work.  Efficient employees maximize the use of their time in handling the tasks at hand.

     These employees are also competent.  They are capable and can be trusted to take care of their responsibilities without needing a supervisor to baby sit them throughout the day.

Enterprising

     Employers may have lots of their own ideas about how to operate the company, but they also want enterprising employees.  Employees should be daring at times, able to think outside of the box.  They should come up with new ideas that may help the company become better at what it does.

     Employees should also be resourceful.  They are able to maximize the use of the resources that they have.  They are not wasteful with supplies.  They creatively find new and different ways to do things within the company.

     Employees should be energetic and spirited.  Rather than becoming robotic toward the assigned responsibilities, employees should find ways to keep the job and workplace fun and lively.

Enthusiastic

     Employers want enthusiastic employees.  They are devoted to their jobs.  They are passionate about what they do, and really want to make a difference.

     They are eager to come to work.  (Granted, it is not always easy to be excited at work, but praise God that you have a job to go to!)  That excitement may rub off on others and make the entire workplace more pleasant.

Essential

     Lastly, employers seek individuals who are essential to the company.  These employees are necessary to the company’s operation.  They are vital to the livelihood and the continued growth and development of the company.

     The company truly cannot function at its best without the essential employees.  Most companies, whether large or small, need many employees to operate.  But, just like a body, each part is absolutely essential to the entire body.

     Paul explains this concept in 1 Corinthians 12:12-26.  Even in a company with hundreds or thousands of employees, when an essential employee is missing, it is felt by everyone.  Have we showed our employers that we are indispensable?

     If we want to feel valued and respected at work, we have to make sure that we have given our employers a valid reason.  Applying these five characteristics will not only change our bosses’ outlooks on us, but it will also give us a renewed sense of purpose within our workplace.

“Give me my wives and children, for whom I have served you, and I will be on my way.  You know how much work I’ve done for you.”     Genesis 30:26 (NIV)

     Jacob is a man after my own heart.  I love the fact that this man recognized his responsibility and assumed his role as a husband, father, and provider.  He worked hard to take care of his family.

     Many are familiar with 1 Timothy 5:8, “If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” (NIV)  Let’s look at how Jacob puts these words into action.

Honorable husband

     In honoring the customs of that time, Jacob worked for his father-in-law, Laban, for 14 years in order to earn the hands of Leah and Rachel in marriage.  The original agreement was seven years for Rachel, but Laban deceived Jacob and gave his older daughter, Leah, to Jacob first.  He had to work seven additional years for Rachel.

     I think it is important to note here that Jacob handled Laban’s deception in an upstanding manner.  Rather than call Laban out for the misdeed, he willingly added another seven years of service to the agreement so that he could have his bride.  Now that’s what I call love!

    Jacob displayed the attitude we should have when we are at work.  Things may not always go as planned.  Things may not always be easy.  Employers and clients renege on verbal agreements.

     There will be times where we just have to roll with the punches.  We will have to keep moving forward even when the circumstances don’t seem fair.

     Jacob may not have liked the agreement, but he kept his eye on the bigger picture – at the end of the day, he still had the love of his life at his side.

Hardworking father

     The weddings took place in the middle of the years of service.  So, Jacob worked seven years, married both women, and then worked an additional seven years.

     During the second set of seven years, children were born into the unions.  Growing up, I’m sure they came to know about marriage arrangement.  They probably not only heard about it, but they were also able to watch their father work hard for their grandfather.

     Fathers need to be positive examples for their children of what the head of the household should look like.  Boys should learn how to provide for their families.  Girls should see how their prospective husbands should treat them.

Honest provider

     In all of Jacob’s years of service to Laban, we do not hear of any misappropriations.  Jacob handled everything honestly.  In fact, this is confirmed by Laban’s statement in Genesis 30:27.  He tells Jacob, “I have learned by divination that the LORD has blessed me because of you.” (NIV)

     When we are good stewards over whatever God has entrusted to us, many people around us will also be positively impacted.  Since Jacob handled his responsibilities appropriately, his employer was blessed.  In turn, when business went well, everyone involved in Laban’s business was also blessed.

     Our stewardship has a domino effect.  Let’s remember that as we handle our given responsibilities both at home and at work.

“Then Leah said, ‘God has presented me with a precious gift.  This time my husband will treat me with honor, because I have borne him six sons.’  So she named him Zebulun.”     Genesis 30:20 (NIV)

     Leah’s life had some challenges.  Although she was married, she did not win her husband’s heart.  He was in love with her younger sister, Rachel.  Their father would not give Jacob Rachel’s hand in marriage until Leah was married.  So, Jacob married Leah first, then married Rachel.

It’s not a competition

     It appears that Leah always felt a sense of competition between herself and Rachel for Jacob’s heart.  But her efforts failed every time.  We, too, must be careful about the levels to which we take our competitive natures.

     Working hard and seeking an accomplished life is not wrong in itself.  But when we take it to unhealthy levels, it can become damaging.  Here are a few examples.

1) Work becomes more important than our relationship with God.
2) Work consumes us and deprives our family of the time that they need with us.
3) Our work has worn us down physically.
4) We work hard in an effort to keep up with those around us.
5) Our drive for success and accomplishment leads us to act unethically.

But “this time” will be different…

     Leah was hoping that “this time” her husband would treat her differently.  She had already borne five sons for Jacob.  If things hadn’t changed after the first five sons, what was going to make son #6 any different?

     Often times, we operate under the same notions.  We think that if we just close one more deal, then we will get the raise or bonus that we had hoped for.  If we work just one more hour, then we will get a big jump on the week’s workload.  The list is neverending.

     Then, when we do get to that next point, we find the accomplishment less than satisfying, and we are looking ahead to the next milestone.

     The money is never enough.  The goals and successes we reach are never sufficient.  We will always, in our natural minds, want more.  We will always yearn for bigger and better.

     Our drive can turn into an unhealthy greed.  Jesus warns us in Luke 12:15, “Watch out!  Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” (NIV)

Whose approval are you seeking?

     In our efforts to strive toward various types of successes in life, we should be careful of another motive – seeking the approval of others.

     This motive is not always immediately obvious to us, but it can lead to trouble.  Paul warns us in Galatians 1:10, “Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God?  Or am I trying to please men?  If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.” (NIV)

     While God has no problem with us being happy and enjoying our lives here on earth, we must be careful about doing things simply to win the approval of others.  The only opinion that matters is God’s opinion.  If God approves, then everything else should fall into place.

     Knowing that simple changes to food habits can save big money, let’s look at how compound interest can affect our major purchases.  We all like new things – new gadgets, new items for the house, and new cars.  Sometimes we like them so much that we are willing to do whatever it takes to get them.  This can include paying outrageous interest rates when we don’t have the cash.

     Marketing executives, sales associates and stores that we frequent know this and often take advantage of it.  However, when we look at it in perspective, we may begin to feel differently about actually making that jump.

Store credit cards – a good or bad idea?

     For example, let’s say that we found a bedroom set that we absolutely love.  The current price for the whole room is $4,000.00.  Let’s also assume that the furniture store offered to finance our purchase over three years.  We would only have to pay $157.00 a month, and we can have the furniture delivered today.

     While $157.00 a month may not sound like a lot of damage to pay in exchange for having a new bedroom set, let’s take this example a little bit further.  Based on these numbers, the furniture store is financing us at 24% annual interest.  Now that’s ugly.  What’s worse, once we finish making our monthly payments in three years, we will have paid $8,012.00 for a $4,000.00 bedroom set.  That’s twice the original asking price!

Cash is better

     It would be much better if we are able to pay cash rather than finance the purchase.  We can create a plan to save the money over time.  Let’s look at two options:  saving for three years and saving that same monthly payment.

     There are many options that we can choose to use to save this money.  In this example, we will assume that we are saving in a vehicle that is earning 4% annual interest.  This is higher interest than a bank savings account.  If we were to put the money in the bank, the money would not grow fast enough.  We have to find another investment vehicle that we are comfortable with.

Option 1:  Save over three years

     If we wanted to save a fixed amount each month for three years, we can reach $4,000.00 by saving $105.00 each month.  This is much less than the monthly payment that the furniture store required.

Option 2:  Save the same monthly payment

     If we were comfortable with the $157.00 monthly payment offered by the furniture store, then we can save that amount each month for 2 years to reach the desired $4,000.00 goal.  This option cuts one year off of the furniture store’s payment plan.

     Neither of these options will allow us take the bedroom set home today, but we can save $4,000.00 in unnecessary interest by waiting until we can afford it.

     This concept can be applied to almost any major purchase we so desire.  Being disciplined enough to exercise patience and cut back on our need for instant gratification can save us thousands of dollars in interest.

“Then Leah said, ‘God has rewarded me for giving my maidservant to my husband.’  So she named him Isaachar.”     Genesis 30:18 (NIV)

     Leah’s statement in this verse sounds so familiar.  Not only have I heard myself saying something similar, but I have heard it from many, many people over the years.

     We often think of the circumstances in our lives as rewards and punishments for how well we stay in line with what God wants us to do.  However, that is not necessarily true.  While there are consequences for our actions (both good and bad), our lives are not a direct reflection of our “works.”

Bad things do happen to good people

     When life brings us challenges, we should not consider that a punishment for some behavior that we did not handle properly.  There is absolutely nothing that happens to us that is outside of God’s permission.

     Remember that God allowed Satan to strike Job.  Job 1:8 reads, “Then the LORD said to Satan, ‘Have you considered my servant Job?  There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.’” (NIV)

     What is so interesting about this verse is that there is no mention of Job doing anything wrong.  So, Job’s attack was not a punishment.

     If God will allow Satan to strike a blameless and upright man who fears God and shuns evil, what would make the rest of us exempt?

Recognize the little things

     God’s blessings don’t always show up like fireworks.  There won’t always be a huge display or celebration to help us identify moments where God has stepped in.  We should still, though, learn to recognize the smaller blessings.

     For example, Satan did have limitations in his attack on Job.  God instructed him in Job 1:12, “…everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.” (NIV)  God’s hands stayed on Job the whole time.

     If we think about the struggles in our own lives, we can all imagine ways that the problem could have been worse.  Yet, we often fail to recognize that God is still in control and that He will only allow so much.

How will we respond?

     We can all learn from Job’s response.  In Job 1:20, we see that Job fell to the ground in worship.  He recognized God as the source of everything that he had.  He recognized that he was not entitled to anything and could lose it at any moment.  He never blamed God for his losses.

     We, too, should be mindful of developing a sense of entitlement.  While it feels great to be rewarded for our hard work, God doesn’t owe us anything.

     Remember the blind man that Jesus healed in John 9:1-12.  The disciples asked Jesus whose sin caused the man to be born blind.  Jesus’ response was that sin had nothing to do with the blindness.  In John 9:3, Jesus said, “…this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.” (NIV)

     God also wants to use our lives to display His work.  He wants us to be lights for those who are still trapped in the darkness of this world.  Will we hold fast and praise God through our trials so that others can come to know Him?