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PROGRAM D-7961
There’s a slogan from the Boy Scouts that I like a lot: Leave it better than you found it. It’s certainly good for Boy Scouts, but don’t you think that Christians should have that same kind of attitude? I’d like to share my thoughts on the kinds of things we should leave better than we found them.
We should leave our jobs better than we found them.
I’m not suggesting we literally leave our jobs but rather, because we are doing our job, things should be better where we work. Our presence in that job should be a positive thing such that, if we did leave the job, it would be better than we found it.
Another way to put this is to ask ourselves, “If everyone in my organization worked like I do, would the organization be better off?” Consider these questions:
- If everyone worked as hard as you do—put in the same number of hours truly working—would productivity go up or down?
- If everyone arrived at work the same time you do, would everyone be on time or late?
- If everyone were as creative as you are—finding new and better ways to do things—would there be new initiatives and new ideas happening, or not?
- If everyone were as willing to go the extra mile as you are, would there be more people exceeding requirements, or fewer?
- If everyone were as positive and upbeat as you are, would there be a better morale where you work, or worse?
- If everyone were as neat and tidy as you are and cleaned up after themselves like you do, would the work environment be nicer or messier?
- If everyone talked about others in the organization the way you do, would there be lots of positive affirmation going around, or lots of gossip?
You get the idea. Paul wrote to the Corinthians that “if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment” (1 Corinthians 11:31). It’s just smart to check up on ourselves—to judge ourselves—and avoid coming under judgment by others. So ask yourself if you are leaving your job better than you found it!