Latest / Prayer Before Work / My Manager Just Sent Me a Friend Request - Prayer Before Work
Transcript
- Sean Graver: Your manager sends you a friend request. Not on LinkedIn. It's on Instagram and Facebook. Both. Hey, my name is Sean and welcome back to Prayer Before Work. So you look at the friend request for a second and you just don't accept it. Not because you have anything to hide, but just because there's a line between your work life and your real life. And you like keeping it there. But then a few days later, she brings it up. Hey, did you see my friend request? So now you're standing there trying to figure out how honest to be with someone who has some say over your paycheck. So Jesus sends his disciples out into a world just as complicated as your group chat here. And he tells them in Matthew 10 16, I am sending you out. Like sheep among wolves, therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. Now that's a strange combination, shrewd and innocent at the same time. But that's exactly the skill this moment calls for. You don't need to be naive about how requests like this can blur lines, and you don't need to be cold or evasive about it either. I mean, shrewd means that you think it through before you answer. And innocent means whatever you say is true and kind, and it's not political. So when she asks, you don't have to lie and say you didn't see it. You can say something simple and honest, like that you like keeping your social media separate from work and that it's nothing personal. No, that's shrewd because it Protects a boundary that matters. And it's innocent because it's true and said with respect, not suspicion. Now, boundaries at work don't have to come with an explanation or an apology. You're allowed to have space that belongs only to you, even from people you like and respect. Because wisdom is knowing how to hold that space without making anyone feel rejected in the process. Let's pray about this. God give us the wisdom to be honest and kind at the same time, especially in these kind of small, awkward moments that can really catch us off guard and help us to hold on to healthy boundaries without turning them into walls, and and give us the right words when we need them and the confidence to trust that protecting our peace isn't something we have to apologize for. And in Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Go make today count.