Healing the doldrums at work

My job was boring. I would get to work by 8:00 a.m. and by 9:00 I was watching the clock to see how many more hours until lunch. After lunch, it was a countdown until the end of the workday. It seemed as though everyone in my department had developed the same habit. And not only were we watching the clock , we watched the calendar.

Eventually I realized that I needed to challenge this clock-watching attitude. Did I need to accept this dull and stagnant mental condition, the doldrums, as an established fact? Or was there something I could do to bring joy and freshness to my work?

My answer was found in Science and Health with Key to the Scripturesm by Mary Baker Eddy. Mrs. Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, begins her book with this encouraging statement: ''To those leaning on the sustaining infinite, to-day is big with blessings.'' n1

n1 Science and Health, p. vii.

What was needed was not only an expectation but also a recognition of the many blessings that each day held for me as the child of God. The Bible assures us of God's goodness and of His care for man. The Psalmist declared: ''Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.'' n2

n2 Psalms 100.

God is good, and God is always present. God's goodness cannot be kept from man. In fact, it's reflected by man; it's an inherent part of his being. So wherever we are, and even if we don't realize it, God's goodness and blessings are there also.

I needed to accept God's love for me and become aware of His presence during each day. I needed to practice making statements of thanksgiving and joy instead of complaining about others and my working conditions. This was not to be mere positive thinking. A deep spiritualization, or purification, of thought was required. I needed to express more of the divine nature, following the example of the Way-shower, Christ Jesus. And I needed to understand God's allness and my inseparability from His goodness. Not only could each day be seen as having infinite blessings; I could start to see each hour as ''big with blessings.''

I challenged myself to do this. When I got to my desk at 8:00, I would mentally claim, ''This hour is big with blessings. God's goodness is with me at this very moment, and I can see His blessings being manifested right now.''

At 9:00, one hour later, I would consciously find a blessing in the past hour. Then, at the end of the next hour, I would again insist that there was something to be grateful for. I continued to do this each hour of the day.

At first I looked for good things that others did for me. Then I started to become grateful when kind things were done for others. A smile, evidence of a sense of humor, a word of encouragement, were all counted as blessings. I became grateful when such God-derived qualities as order and efficiency were demonstrated in the office.

I also began being grateful for opportunities to bless others. Moments when I could be kind toward someone, or offer a supportive word, or express a pleasant attitude, were cherished.

Each day brought a multitude of blessings that had before gone unseen. My attitude changed from wanting to get good from others, to wanting to give. It changed from criticism to appreciation and from stagnation to spontaneity. The doldrums had been vanquished!

We all have the right to joy and freshness in our jobs. As we claim the infinite blessings that our Father provides for us, we will discover the here and now of His goodness. Wherever we are and whatever we are doing, His presence is with us at this very moment. Why not joyfully discover the blessings of this very hour! DAILY BIBLE VERSE I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving Psalms 69:30