Set Apart

I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. John 17:14-17 (NIV)

I’m so grateful to have a good job with good pay and benefits, especially at a time when so many people are out of work and scarcely getting by. But man, there are days at work when I just want to go off and tell folks how I really feel about them. My office environment is very negative. There’s cursing all day, confrontations, and gossip. Like the high school years I hated oh so much, there are cliques: the mean girls, the favorites/brownnosers, the popular group, the trouble makers, the jocks, the custody staff, and the medical staff. Like in high school, I don’t really fit into any of those groups (yes, I was that kid who spent lunch hiding in the Library or in some teacher’s classroom-the only difference is about 15 years and I now eat lunch at my desk or in my car). Did I mention I hated high school? I hated high school. Just like in high school, I feel like I don’t fit in my work environment.

If that’s not bad enough, we’re activating a new facility and are working in a temporary office space. It’s noisy, stuffy, crowded, messy, disorganized, and it stinks. There’s a lot of fakery, backstabbing, teasing, stressing, and complaining. Drama. Rarely a quiet moment. I usually can’t hear myself think, let alone take a phone call because there are always at least 50 other conversations going on at the same time and people don’t seem to know how to use their inside voices...in a room about the size of a small classroom. Yup, I’m there five days a week, eight hours a day. Yippee!!!

This week has been particularly rough for me. By the end of the workday yesterday, I was so frustrated, my head was spinning and I took the stress of work home with me. Daily, I find myself complaining. I sometimes feel like I’m being sucked into all the negativity. I ask God what’s His purpose for me at work. My current job definitely isn’t my calling or the place where my career will end-it’s just what I have to do to pay the bills for now. But I know I’m there for a reason. Read on…I’m not just venting, I’m actually going somewhere with this...I hope.

Tonight, I intended to write about authority, but I was lead to John 17 instead. Verses 14-17 grabbed my attention. Before Jesus was arrested, He prayed. He prayed for himself, His disciples, and the believers. I was a bit taken aback wondering why Jesus didn’t pray that we be taken out of the world to heaven with Him. So, I read it again, and again, and again. It slowly sunk in after reading it several times.

Maybe, just maybe, the all-knowing Jesus prayed the perfect prayer for us. I believe God gets more glory when He protects His children from Satan’s attacks rather than simply removing us from his shooting range. As believers, we live in this world but are not of it. In essence we’re foreigners.  Our origin is a godly one because our Father is God. This world isn’t all gumdrops and rainbows; it’s a cruel, crude world-Satan’s playground. Our purpose in this world is to be examples of Christ to those around us-our families, friends, classmates, coworkers, the cashier at the grocery store, that mean woman who never smiles, and the grumpy old man.

John 17:17 says, “Sanctify them by the truth. Your word is the truth.” To sanctify is to set apart. When we live according the word, we live according to a greater standard of goodness than the world does, and that sets us apart. We’re equipped with everything we need to survive the world and not be pulled into all its madness. We have the word. God protects us with His word. God’s word guards our hearts and guides our steps. Are we living to blend in with the world, or do we endeavor to live up to God’s standards?  Each day we must remind ourselves that we are sanctified and our actions should reflect that- whether at work, in the car, at the store, or at home.  Even when we’re surrounded by constant negativity and darkness, we are called to be positive examples and the light in this world.

Wherever we go, whatever we do, someone is watching. We must ask ourselves, what do people see when they see me? What does God see when He looks upon me? Am I living a life set apart or have I conformed to this world? If we’re completely honest most of us can do better and have some work to do. I pray the people in the world around me see Christ in me and that I never forget that living in this world doesn’t mean I have to imitate it. May my desire to be like Christ and learn His word never wan. Jesus knew our temporary home would be this world and He prayed protection and sanctification over us until we make it to heaven. I trust God answered His Son’s prayer; it’s our job to live like that.