How do I deal with work requirements that involve supporting sinful things?
Question:
Good afternoon,
I’ve been dealing with this dilemma for several months now and would love advice from a gospel teacher. I am going into my last year of college at one of the most liberal public universities in my region. I currently work as a Resident Assistant, where I help lead the residence halls and create a safe space for students in exchange for free food and housing, which is quite a luxury in a city where rent for even overcrowded apartments with no windows is very expensive. My issue comes with choosing my route for next semester and deciding if I want to stay in the role. Here are some factors that have gone into my decision:
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Being a university student is hard enough with the multiple anti-God influences and ideologies floating around, but it is quite apparent in the curriculum that Resident Assistants are forced to give to students as part of our job. For example, we have held events involving “safe sex,” National Coming Out Day, Días de los Muertos, etc. Also, we hold some other ungodly events that I have personal convictions about, such as Halloween and Christmas events. I don’t know how far my proximity and being an accomplice to sin go in my role, especially because part of my job involves assigning people to these events, but I don’t want to take the risk. Luckily, since the university desires “wide acceptance” of all backgrounds, I have been able to get away with participating in some things because I tell them it goes against my faith. For the most part, they can be pretty accommodating when it comes to my convictions. I am also not required to work on all these events; these are just events that the building puts on and expects us to promote (which I often secretly don’t if it goes against my conscience). The problem comes when I am afraid to speak up due to fears of how I will be looked at when I speak against these issues, which I know is awful as a Christian, but it is something I’m working on and growing in.
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Another issue is that I am a valued employee here. My bosses value my hard work and consideration for the entire staff's wellbeing. I am a lead RA, and I have shown my leadership skills repeatedly, which allows me to have some leniency when it comes to things I disagree with or things that make me uncomfortable. My staff also truly enjoys my presence, and we have a family-like bond considering we live together. The problem is that our bond often causes me to be negatively tempted by their gossiping, slander, swearing, etc. I have learned to limit being influenced by their habits, such as dirty jokes, liberal ideologies (pro-choice, pro-LGBT), and cliquey behavior, but I’m also not super quick to call it out. I also try my best to spread the Gospel in a way that doesn’t fit the “hateful Christian” stereotype, but that often leads me to just being quiet and not saying any specifics about the Gospel or their need to repent. I also have found a coworker who is a Christian that I try to protect from the influences of the staff and false beliefs, which gives me a desire not to leave out of fear of losing her to their sinful ways. I do believe putting my foot down and asking for them to be respectful around me would help the situation a lot since they’ve shown care for me and a desire to be around me, but once again, I am a bit scared to actually put my foot down.
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One of the issues with quitting my job is finding adequate housing, which is quite difficult. Finding clean, affordable, safe housing near campus is nearly impossible. Rent is somewhat in my budget range, but I would be giving up a lot of safety and privacy aspects that I have in my dorm. The areas of apartments are known to be infested with frat houses and partiers, and I would be rooming with random students whom I have no clue about their values, sexual partners, cleanliness, etc. I truly value my privacy and seclusion living in my own dorm, and I’m not sure if I am too focused on comfort instead of the Lord’s will.
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This brings me to the most important point. I’m not sure how “signs” work, but I have been constantly praying to God to reveal the answer to me, and every time I have prayed, I’ve experienced either trouble with the staff, with the curriculum, or with my work-life balance that has convinced me that I can’t stay here. I’ve also been doing a daily Bible reading through the whole Bible, and I keep stumbling upon stories about taking a leap of faith for God and the negative effects of not heeding His word. The problem with this is I’ve had another viewpoint of God’s plan; I think this is supposed to be a lesson on being bold in my faith in difficult circumstances, and many other Christians have told me that I am just running from being a servant for the Lord. Still, I’m not sure which route is correct. I’m also scared that God will punish me for making the wrong decision, either on this side of life or on judgment day.
I enjoy my job, especially connecting with other students and supporting them. I also enjoy the privacy and self-sufficiency, but I want to go and follow where the Lord calls me. I have a couple of options to stay on the job and move to another building away from my staff, but I’m not sure even being in this company is God’s will. Could you please help me break this down and understand what is God’s voice and what isn’t?
Thank you so much for reading through my whole thought process; your assistance is much appreciated! Have a wonderful day!
Answer:
The questions you have are not limited to a university environment. These same issues are coming up in workplaces nationwide because those promoting worldly viewpoints believe they must force everyone to accept their views. Under the guise of "diversity," varying views are not allowed. Managers have to deal with companies who stage "diversity" events for the credit they receive from radical groups. We have all heard of businesses being targeted by radical groups to set precedence in supporting their agendas.
You need to look at the physical benefits of your as a part of your wages instead of treating them as benefits. As you noted, if you leave your job, then you would need to replace your living space. If you could find several Christians to share the cost of an apartment, that would be a useful choice. However, moving in with a set of random people would definitely degrade the influences in your life. To leave something because of its bad influence to increase the bad influences in your life is not an improvement. It isn't about comfort but about improving your spiritual life.
Therefore, is there alternative work that could pay you enough to live in your own place? Is there a Christian family you could rent a room from, even if it isn't as convenient to the campus?
What most managers I have heard from do is much the same as you are doing. They work hard and avoid situations where they support immoral events. They set a good example. If someone asks, they politely answer. If possible, they offer to talk about controversial topics with the person away from the worksite, such as at a coffee shop. Sometimes, a point can be delivered by simply asking a question about how their point of view improves life. For example, if a guy is boasting about how many girls he has had sex with, the question could be: "Isn't that just using people for your own desires? How is that showing respect for others?" Christians are told to consider how they answer people. "Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person" (Colossians 4:5-6). It isn't often that bluntly telling someone they stand condemned will cause them to agree and change their behavior. Most of the world, including those who call themselves Christians, don't know the teachings of the Bible or why those teachings are logical. A Christian strives to help others see that God's ways are best. You use the opportunities as they present themselves. You need not create "opportunities."
In regards to "signs," see:
Question:
Thank you so much for your response!
Concerning your alternatives to my housing dilemma, there are a few options for single housing that are somewhat feasible enough for my budget. However, they aren't in the best condition or areas of town, and I am overall limited by transportation when choosing housing. I also don't have many connections to faithful Christians of college age in my area or who own housing, so I can't see that as much of a possibility either. I'm fearful that if I don't take this risk and choose what I believe God has planned for me by leaving the job, whether that be risking living in an uncomfortable situation, then I'm not proving my faith in Him. With this situation I feel like I'm telling God that I am comfortable where I am and I don't trust Him to protect and provide for me in a different living situation, and who knows how God might punish me for this?
I also have a follow-up question concerning if this job was from God in the first place. For context, when I received this position, I was on the waitlist for a position as an RA during a time when I was working around the clock to make enough money for the down payment on my apartment. A week before my down payment was due, which I had no absolute guarantee of being able to pay by then, I was randomly sent an email that I had been pulled from the waitlist that I had completely forgotten about. To this day, I still tell people that it was nothing but a blessing from God that I was chosen for this position days before I owed my apartment complex money. At first, due to the rocky nature of my dorm when I was new to the job, the job wasn't nearly as political or as ungodly as it is today. Now, it is overwhelmingly controlled by the liberal agenda, pop culture, etc. Is it possible that I could've waited? Maybe God would've actually blessed me with a way to have come up with the apartment's money instead of taking the opportunity that Satan possibly provided, or when God gave me the job. Did He know that I'd be tempted to do ungodly things, which is why He gave it to me as a possible "temporary fix" until I got on my feet? Also, how do I know if an opportunity is gifted to me by God or the Devil?
Thank you so much again!
Question:
I hope you don't mind, but I will address your questions by approaching them from a different direction.
Your questions all revolve around God's providence -- God's working in the world to benefit His people and answer their prayers. God does manipulate His creation to accomplish His goals. "The mind of man plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps" (Proverbs 16:9). This does not mean that God directly communicates with people and tells them what to do. This verse implies that men have free will. We make our decisions, but we also know things don't always work out the way we plan. One reason for this is that our decisions may not align with God's choices, and He nudges things to accomplish His goals. See God's Providence.
One aspect of providence is that we only realize that God did something after the fact. When we try to pinpoint just exactly what God did, we have a hard time. God clearly helped David defeat Goliath, but what did God do? God helped Israel in the Book of Esther, but we aren't told exactly what God did, though we read through the story and notice that there are far too many coincidences, and we conclude that God's hand was in the events.
Where you are making a mistake is in attempting to guess in advance where God is pushing you. You are trying to help God along. Instead, you should make choices based on what you know promotes God's agenda according to the Scriptures. You make choices that help you remain faithful and allow you to be a blessing to others. If a choice you make isn't what God wants, I guarantee it won't work out. You can't defeat God's plans. As an example from my life, when I was about to graduate from college, I wanted to move to the Appalachian Mountain region of North Carolina. I applied there, to where I was currently working, to where I grew up, and on a lark, I applied to a place a co-worker said was a beautiful region. I received a rejection letter from where I wanted to go. The place where I grew up wasn't hiring at that time. The place where I was working didn't get back to me after the interview. However, the place I applied to as a lark was extremely interested in me and offered me a position on the spot. I found out later that an intern had accidentally mailed me the wrong letter from where I wanted to go. The HR manager was quite upset. The HR manager where I had been working got fired because she was sitting on all job offers and not sending them out. However, I met my wife in my new location, eventually leading me to preach full-time.
What you are considering is putting yourself in a difficult situation and trusting God will rescue you. That is putting God to the test (Matthew 4:7). God will put you to good use wherever you go. Therefore, pick a direction that looks to be a solid decision. At the moment, it looks like staying with your current job gives you the best position to help others and soften the radical agendas being promoted. If you get dismissed, then you know that God wants you to make some changes in your life. Regardless of where you land, always put God first and things will work out in the long run.
