The Mission Central Blog
Resources on Effective Leadership, Emotional Health, Spiritual Growth, and Faith and Work
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It no longer takes imagination to see myself and other human beings using AI for everyday tasks. But what about an angel? The image tickles my fancy. And I don’t mean a cheerful, bumbling angel like Clarence from It’s A Wonderful Life or a sly, avuncular angel like Al from Angels In the Outfield. (Where does Hollywood get its ideas about angels, anyway?) I mean a bonafide, biblical, make-you-fall-down-dead minister of the presence of the holy. Would such a creature have any use for our AI tools?
If you’re like me, doing “normal life” can feel like a moral betrayal of our neighbors whose lives have been disrupted by injustices. At the very least, it’s a point of significant cognitive dissonance. Thoughts like these go through my mind: At such a time, is it right for us to keep following our routines, working and playing, resting and reading? Isn’t this an emergency? Shouldn’t we disrupt our lives to go take decisive action on behalf of the vulnerable? But what would that decisive action even look like?
At work, it’s easy to feel like there’s no room for weakness. We have to clock the hours to get our projects through the system. We have to stay on top of constantly evolving technologies to stay relevant. We have to hustle.
In the first century, the earliest followers of Jesus called him “Lord.” That means they thought he had the authority to call the shots. Beyond the Jesus tradition, people from many different backgrounds relate to God like a boss. He gives the orders, they execute. That raises the question: What kind of boss is Jesus?
Growing up in a Christian subculture prone to both kitsch and mnemonic devices, I was subjected early on to many cringe-worthy didactic moments. One shining example was a motivational poster on the wall that asked, “Do you have an attitude of gratitude?” The subtext seemed to be, “We know how to make
Jesus turns the tables: Instead of accepting the imposition as an obligation, you can make it a gift. That second mile comes from you.
When someone lashes out in anger, sometimes they make the excuse, "It's just the way I am." Here, we see that Jesus agrees. Your words show you exactly who you are.
My attitude about my work can be self-centered, without me even trying. I worry about my reputation. I get stressed about my responsibilities, and think about how they affect me. My motive, if I’m honest, is about me, too: I need the benefits and the paycheck!
Think about the last time you looked at the moon. Really looked at it. You had to look up at it, to see it as part of the sky that you live under. It's a part of your environment. A luminous creature in the habitat of the heavens.