How do Christian leaders encourage and lead their Christian staff when they are in a secular environment? We were sent this letter and have published it to share with you one woman’s solution – an end of the year letter.

A Letter from a Supervisor to her Christian Staff

Therefore, my beloved ‘sisters’, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain (1Cor 15:58 ESV)

As we come to the close of 2016, I am compelled to encourage each of you to not only close this year well, personally and professionally; but to look to the coming year with hope-filled anticipation of how the Lord will both use you, and especially grow you forward in faith and character as you execute your duties as mothers, daughters, sisters, friends… and employees.

I send this out to you as a result of my ongoing prayers on your behalf being stirred and challenged as I ask the Lord’s leading for each of us in the coming year. Each of you has stated that you are children of God, I receive you as sisters in Christ before seeing you as ladies under my supervision. As such, I want to challenge you to be very purposeful in how you portray yourselves on the job. My prayer is that you live and breathe lives of obedience unto our Lord and Savior as first priority, so that all that is said and done by you is indeed glorifying to God and honoring before man.

In light of who we are in Christ, it is my sincere desire that we shine as a unit. By the sheer reality that we are women of faith, I pray that 2017 will be met with such a sweet unity in this unit that we will exemplify an excellence of work that resonates as a sweet fragrance within our office and before the Lord our God.

As I reflect on each closing year, my personal musings always start with a question: Have I demonstrated a sincere love for God, above all else, and have I allowed more of him to shine through me… or not? And as always, I come away seeing that I still have much work to do. I challenge you to do likewise. Look back over the past 12 months and honestly assess yourself (using the word of God as your mirror); did you strive each day to live in greater obedience before God? Did you treat your fellow workers, clients and managers with respect and seek to comply with all that was asked of you and/or required of you? Did you reach out in prayer for the Lord’s help before/during/after going out on your calls? Or, did you have the audacity to simply live out your days on your own accord; calling upon the Lord for help primarily when difficulty or inconveniences arose? Did you strive to keep Christ at the center of your days?

As children of God we have a mandate towards perfection (be ye holy as I am holy) and though we are in the world (by God’s loving design), we are not to be of the world. We are called to love and to serve one another and others, and we are to walk in obedience before our Lord; thus, before man also. None of this can be accomplished in our own strength nor by sheer will; No, we need the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, we need the wisdom and strength of our Lord Jesus Christ; we need the favor of God our Father!

So as you look back over this past year that you have been blessed to live; may you take time to honestly examine if you were truly surrendered to God and if you demonstrated sincere dependence upon Him, as he calls each of us to do. If not, which I do trust is true of each of us, may you join me in confessing this area of sin (self-reliance), and asking that we may draw nearer to Him in 2017; that we may be more engaged in prayer and faithful service to one another and our clients- those whom He has entrusted to our hands.

As we strive to get real with our God, may He be pleased to speak that sweet proclamation into our hearts; Well Done My Good and Faithful Servant!! None of us has fully arrived at living out our lives of faith; but may we be ever striving towards that mark of perfection; of ongoing growing in godliness. We fall down, each of us, more often then we’d like to admit; but as we rise, may we get up in the strength He provides… and Grow Forward!

And as you prayerfully close out this year, Please, please, please, pray for me as I strive to learn and to execute my duties well also… which means overseeing that you do the same.

Although we are employed by our government, we labor for the Lord!!! Don’t ever forget that, as your work is Never in vain ~

In Christ Jesus, the Hope of Glory!!! I do appreciate each one of you! God Bless you and Happy New Year