What Does It Mean to Give My Best at Work? | Faith & Life | Our Daily Bread Singapore (2024)

Hearing these words from her boss has perturbed my friend for a long time. As her boss’ right-hand woman, almost every project the team undertook had been assigned to her.

When she told her boss about her heavy workload, those six words gave her little direction or consolation. That vague, trite phrase couldn’t have been more different from the SMART goals we often come across in performance management—specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.

Have you ever been told by your superior to “just do your best” as well?

Perhaps you’ve thought about whether you’d done your best when performance appraisal season came around, and you had to evaluate whether you met your key performance indicators (KPIs) for the year.

Or when you were saddled with a new project or responsibility that you weren’t too enthusiastic about (like what my friend experienced).

Or maybe you wonder if you’d done your best when you felt that you weren’t being compensated enough for the work you were doing.

As I mulled over what it means to give our best at work, I asked some Christian friends for their take. And we discovered that unlike the quantitative SMART goals of our appraisals, the way the Bible calls us to work is a lot more qualitative.

For some of my friends, giving their best meant being perfect at work. It might seem to fit what Matthew 5:48 says: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” But this isn’t exactly what the verse is talking about.

In context, the verse exhorts us to become complete and mature in our character. Jesus is calling us to grow in spiritual maturity so that we can be more like our heavenly Father.

Perfectionism, on the other hand, leaves no room for growth. It is an unrealistic desire for flawlessness, which can often lead to dissatisfaction, anxiety, and unhealthy striving.

Bearing in mind Jesus’ call to spiritual maturity, however, we can still strive for excellence at work. By seeking continual improvement, we are also seeking to grow to be like God in all we do.

But you may wonder: that sounds like perfectionism all over again. If it’s all about improving ourselves, then what’s the difference between striving for spiritual maturity (godly perfection) and perfectionism? Aren’t they both about doing our best?

The perfection that we seek as Christians is captured in Colossians 3:23:

“With all your heart, as working for the Lord.” We can strive for excellence in our work to the best of our abilities, without being blinded by unrealistic standards and estimations of our own strength.

The Christian who seeks excellence at work remains aware of her imperfections. Instead of seeking satisfaction in what she can achieve for herself, however, she relies on God’s grace to grow in maturity and change for the better.

Let’s face it: we all have different capabilities and capacities. In the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14–30), three servants are given different amounts of money to invest, “each according to his ability” (v.15).

The parable teaches us about good stewardship—how we are to be responsible managers of the resources God gives us, including time, talents, and opportunities.

For some, doing their best means giving their all at work—fully dedicating 100 percent of their time, energy, and focus when they’re in the office.

But given our finite human nature, our best isn’t always the same. Our situations change. At one stage in life, we might have five talents, at another, maybe two. The level at which our “best” is situated will naturally change along with the seasons.

It isn’t reasonable to hold on to the expectation that we can and should work at the same pace throughout our lives.

For example, a young friend who had just started a new job tried to be the best in everything he did at work. But he soon learnt that attempting to meet 100 percent of the department’s goals while running on 50-percent capacity only led to burnout.

He has since learnt to adjust. Now, when he only has a 50-percent capacity engine, he gives that 50 percent. “Doesn’t that work out to be giving 100 percent?” he wondered.

For someone so young, he sounded like a wise old chap indeed. He understood his limits yet did not withhold the best he could give.

The friends I spoke to mentioned another key factor they used to determine what their best at work looked like—whether they had met their KPIs in the eyes of their bosses.

It certainly determined the size of their bonus for the year!

Yet, KPIs can be shifted and our bosses can change—for better or for worse. We may not always meet our workplace KPIs, sometimes for very good reasons. In such situations, we could well have given our “best” even if we failed to meet our KPIs or please our bosses.

A more helpful question might be:

In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul instructs us to work for our earthly masters—or bosses—as “slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart”, and to “serve wholeheartedly . . . because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do”(6:6–8).

Serving Jesus doesn’t only mean working in a church or Christian ministry. It’s also about serving Him wherever He has placed us, in whatever company or organisation we work in.

Christ himself taught us the meaning of service through His life. He came to serve and not to be served (Mark 10:45). In humility, He considers and values the interest of others above His own (Philippians 2:3–7).

Some of my friends affirm that relationships are at the heart of service, and that the best service is rendered when we elevate others above ourselves. One of them, a teacher, demonstrates her “best” when she listens closely to her students and builds meaningful relationships with them.

Another friend described his habit of looking back and reviewing the work he did each day. He would reflect on his walk with God, and prayerfully check that his conscience about his work was clear.

Such service, rendered to God and man alike, is enabled by God himself. As we depend on Jesus, He causes us to bear much fruit (John 15:5).

We can trust that as we persevere in giving our best, God will honour our work. Galatians 6:9 encourages us with these words:

Giving our best at work is not about meeting unrealistic, vague standards. It’s about seeking to grow in spiritual maturity, adapting based on our capacity, and serving Jesus as we follow in His footsteps.

As we navigate challenges in our workplace, let us remember to lean on God’s grace. We can trust that the best we can give to Him is good enough.