Why Do I Feel Awkward?

I recently felt very convicted about an attitude toward work. But as I think about my attitude, I would bet that I'm not alone. As I mentioned a few posts ago, my wife and I recently had a baby. Since then, my supervisor has been asking for a picture to go on a video announcement board in the lobby of my building. So I pose, wearing a very school-spirited shirt. And my son was looking right at the camera, with a wide-eyed look on his face. It was a great picture. We had taken it in his room, and one of the ways that we have decorated his room is putting a scripture on the wall using vinyl lettering. It was completely accidental, but just above his head in the picture, is "The Lord will rejoice over you" (Zephaniah 3:17). And it looks like the picture was taken specifically to get the verse in the frame.

I don't know why, but when I saw that in the picture, I kind of felt awkward about sending it to my work. I thought about photo-shopping it out, but I don't really have time for things like that right now (new baby and all). It just felt weird to know that such a bold declaration would be visible for all to see. It's not that my workplace is anti-religion. In fact, my university has "Christian" in the title, even if that may not influence day-to-day decisions as much as it once did.

As I looked at the picture, I thought, "maybe no one will notice." The first thing I heard back from my supervisor was "great picture and a beautiful sentiment." No luck with the verse not being noticed. I have only been at this university a year. If it wasn't already, I guess my faith is out there (at least a partial verse of it).

Why did it feel awkward? I think part of it is general academia's hostility to religion. Part of it is wanting to be accessible to all students, not just Christian ones. A lot of it is just trying to manage impressions.

I realize it's immature. In fact, the picture is an incredible opportunity to witness to others. And it's something that I have gotten over now. But the initial reaction was hesitation and awkwardness. You may not have any problems with telling others about Jesus and may not experiences any pauses as I did. How Christian are you in your workplace? Do you look for ways to share your beliefs or do you hesitate like I did? I'm not saying that any of us should be the "Bible-banging," in-your-face coworker that no one wants to be around. Look for how you can share your beliefs with others. It may not be easy at first, and the awkwardness may not go away completely. Pray that God opens doors for you to share your faith. And when He does, walk through them.