DEL.ICIO.USFor the Journal-Constitution
Published on: 04/05/08
Bobby Coleman battles problems with words — and faith.
The Alpharetta businessman keeps a plaque in his truck that reminds him he's never alone.
 Joey Ivansco/AJC | ||
| Individual charms on a special bracelet remind Delta flight attendant Deborah Herring of virtues – such as patience and self-control – she hopes to cultivate when things get stressful. | ||
 Joey Ivansco/AJC | ||
| As owner of a roofing company, Bobby Coleman of Alpharetta spends much of his workday in his mobile office – his truck. An inspirational plaque rides along with him to help him remember he's not alone. | ||
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"Lord help me remember that nothing is going to happen to me today that you and I together can't handle," reads the plaque.
And sometimes simple words such as these, attributed to a preacher greeting a new day, actually help Coleman to "do the thing I didn't want to do and come out ahead," he says.
Coleman isn't the only person around Atlanta who chooses to add personal touches to his work space. If you were to do a quick survey of desks and cubicles at your own workplace you might find photos, snow globes, cards and plants.
Often these items serve a bigger purpose than warming up a dismal cube or facilitating a feng shui-friendly environment. Sometimes they have to do with the person's religion or faith.
The workplace, like all of life, can be filled with pressure and people find things — prayers, icons, travel souvenirs from pilgrimages — to help them deal with daily challenges. We asked readers to tell us what faith reminders they keep in their offices and how such things help them cope with workplace worries.
A reminder close by
Even though she doesn't have a traditional work space, flight attendant Deborah Herring keeps a spiritual icon close to her while she's working. On her wrist she wears a silver charm bracelet adorned with nine fruit charms.
"On the back of each fruit charm is engraved one of the Fruit of the Spirit Galatians, 5:22," she says. For instance, one represents self-control. Herring says she needs that when passengers repeatedly ask her which snacks they offer, even though she announced it several times. The charm that reminds her to be patient helps her deal with unexpected delays.
Zadi Maynard, who works as a paralegal in Atlanta, also relies on fruit at work, but in a different way. She collects tropical fruit magnets from her travels. In her office she keeps papaya and mango magnets from Jamaica and a coconut magnet from Brazil, not to help her mentally escape to sandy beaches, but rather for encouragement.
"Fruits are symbolic of hard work. I keep them for inspiration," she says.
These objects could have all sorts of different meaning to different people. They could help someone put things in perspective, find strength to deal with a disagreeable co-worker or just plain do a better job.
Os Hillman, author of "The 9 to 5 Window: How Faith Can Transform the Workplace," has been studying religion's place in the corporate world for more than a decade.
"I think people like to reflect their values where they spend 60 [percent] to 70 percent of their time," Hillman says. He explains that, for Christians, this might mean keeping a Scripture verse on the wall that reminds you why you're there.
"I think sometimes when we get in a fast-paced world in the marketplace and our daily routines of life, we get stretched out. I think those items are there to simply bring us a level of encouragement, inspiration, maybe a sense of comfort in the sense that this represents who I really am, so I want to really tap into that side of my life especially during times of stress."
Getting the job done
Melissa Schaus, who works in sales in Woodstock, relies on prayers specifically for a salesperson. One of the two that hang on her office wall starts out, "Dear Father, I come to you regarding my work performance. It seems to me that I should be more productive."
The prayer goes on to ask for strength and encouragement to do a better job.
"These prayers get me through every day," Schaus says. "I get a lot of 'no's' in sales, but the ones I do meet are people that are intended to come into my life." She credits her spirituality and those inspirational prayers with elevating her to be one of the top salespeople in Georgia in her company.
As a training manager for a manufacturing company in Jackson, Shannon Byrd also tends to get stressed at work.
"I am fairly new to my position and industry and sometimes get frustrated when faced with new challenges," says Byrd.
And when work gets especially taxing, she just has to look up at her favorite memento in her office — a craft project that her 10-year-old son made her.
"It lists all the things he is thankful for. It includes family, friends, sports tickets, shoes; but the last line reads, 'and the most important one, Jesus.' "
For the right reasons
Hillman believes that people who use these symbols might also be trying to let others know about their value systems.
"Sometimes I think that is done for that purpose, to say, 'This is who I am,' " he says. And while he doesn't think that's a bad thing, he does add, "I think we have to be careful of showing symbols for the sake of evangelistic strategies."
Hillman explains that it's your behavior that will really demonstrate your value system in the workplace. He says that doing your job with excellence, ethics and integrity are impressive qualities to any employer.
And in order to do that, some folks might need just a bit of religious encouragement.
Byrd says that, during stressful times at work, just a glance at her son's craft project helps her put things in perspective.
"I am reminded of the courage it takes for a 10-year-old to express his faith in everything he does in a world that does not always welcome or embrace it," she says.
"If at 10 he can tackle such challenges, then I can stop sweating the small stuff."
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