Scores of people in my country usually look forward to weekends so that they can relax from the arduous task of going to work for five consecutive days in a week. So relieved are many people that on Friday the mood is a weekend one. In government offices, workers leave their coats in their seats and disappear for their weekends. People coming to be served are informed that these workers have just gone out and will be back in a moment. But the truth of the matter is they are off for their weekends.
Codes of conduct and ethical principles have done little to eliminate this vice in public offices. The call for patriotism by our government spokesperson has done little either. The reason for this is that the implementers have turned to be the perpetrators of the practice. Some do not even appear on Friday. Slow pace is what marks most public offices in my country. A thing that would normally take hours to sort out may take months, or at least weeks. I once tried to follow up a refund of my overpaid fees in the university. It was about three thousand shillings. Well, eight weeks into it, the refund was within a striking distance. Then there was a strike in the university and so the process had to be halted. On resumption, I was told I had to restart the claim process. This time round I was taken through phases that I hadn’t gone through during the first time. I was fed up and I gave up the “fight” … and my money. That was not before I witnessed a real incident of systematic soldiering (slowing down everything). I was shell-shocked when a certain lady complained that it was her fifth time coming there to follow her results. And that’s not what shocked me. What fazed me was the response from the university attendant. All she could exclaim was…”this is your fifth time only? People have come here eleven times!’’
As Christians whatever we do should be done as unto Christ and not as unto men. Servants should give the best to their masters knowing that they derive their livelihood from them.
Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; Not with eye service, as men pleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him – Ephesians 6:5-9
Doing good work is a way of preaching out the gospel. When the masters are pleased, we provide an avenue for them to ask some soul-searching questions, may be leading to their conversion. Some masters are unscrupulous, always mistreating their servants but GOD is not a respecter of any persons and he will avenge our mistreatments (Romans 12:19). Finally let us overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21) by doing good works.
– johnstone katuku
