By Kimberley Preeper · November 9, 2026
When something goes wrong at work, my mind goes straight to what needs fixing. Who’s waiting for an answer? What fell through? How do we keep things moving?
Those questions matter. But I can spend a whole day thinking about what needs to change around me and hardly stop to ask, Lord, what do You want to change in me while I’m dealing with this?
A recent discussion about transformation made me think about how that question applies on both sides of a working relationship. Someone doing a job may feel pressure to go along with something they know they should question. Someone leading a team may be trying to understand why things keep slipping. Both can bring the situation to God and ask what faithfulness looks like in the part they’re responsible for.
Listen long enough to understand
Have you ever answered someone as if they’d been there for the whole conversation, only to realize they were hearing about the problem for the first time? By then you might already be frustrated. To them, it was a simple question.
I can see myself in that. I can have a whole picture in my head of what needs to happen and assume I’ve explained it. When someone walks away with a different understanding, I can ask what they heard before I tell them what they missed. And if I’ve spoken sharply, I can go back and own it. “I was short with you, and I’m sorry” gives us a chance to start the conversation again.
“Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” — Psalm 139:23–24 (KJV)
Psalm 139 begins with the assurance that God already knows us. By the end, the psalmist is asking God to show him what he may be missing in himself and to lead him. That’s a prayer I can bring into a tense conversation. I may be quick to spot what someone else missed, while God is showing me how my own frustration kept me from hearing their question.
That’s where prayer, understanding, and action come together for me. Suppose a job keeps getting handed back unfinished. I can pray for patience, then ask what the other person understood, where they got stuck, and what we each thought would happen next. Once we know that, we can decide together what needs to change. We may still need to have a hard conversation about follow-through. At least we’ll be talking about what actually happened.
Keep your word while the answer is still hard to give
It’s easy to give an update when you have good news. It’s harder when someone is waiting for an answer and you still don’t have one.
I know how tempting it can be to give myself another day. Maybe by tomorrow I’ll know more. Maybe the conversation will go better. But if I said I would call today, I can still make that call. I can say what I know, be clear about what’s uncertain, and tell them when I’ll check in again. They have decisions to make on their end, and what I tell them matters.
“Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.” — Ephesians 4:25 (KJV)
Paul is writing to believers about what changes when they put on a new way of life in Christ. He tells them to speak truthfully because they belong to one another as members of one body. That helps me see why an honest update is an act of care. When I leave someone guessing, they have to make decisions with information I could have given them. If I’m afraid of disappointing them, I can bring that fear to God and still make the call.
“And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.” — Colossians 3:23–24 (KJV)
Paul is speaking here to enslaved people in the households of his day. He reminds them that Christ sees their work and is the One they ultimately serve. That helps me think about the work nobody is likely to notice today. It might mean doing a routine check carefully, refusing to join in when a conversation turns unkind, or admitting that I missed a detail before it becomes someone else’s problem. As we do those everyday things, the Holy Spirit can teach us to be more patient, honest, and willing to take responsibility.
Pass on the judgment that goes with the job
Say I’m helping someone take over customer updates. If a job is running late and we don’t have a new date, I’d sit down with them before they call. We’d go over what we know, what still needs checking, and when we can give the customer another update.
I’d ask what they think the customer needs to hear and explain why I’d be careful about promising a date we haven’t confirmed. Next time, I can let them handle the call and talk it through with them afterward. That gives them a chance to use their own judgment with someone there to support them.
“And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” — 2 Timothy 2:2 (KJV)
Paul had taught Timothy the message of Christ in the hearing of others. Now he’s asking Timothy to entrust that same teaching to faithful people who can teach it to others in turn. I think about that when I’m showing someone how to handle a difficult call. If I explain why I’d say what we know and hold back on a date we haven’t confirmed, I’m giving them something they can use when I’m out of the room. In time, they can show someone else how to handle that conversation too. And if I want them to speak up early when they’ve made a mistake, they need to see me do it when the mistake is mine.
Be faithful with what’s in front of you
There are decisions where I’d love to know how everything will turn out before I take the next step. I can pray, ask for counsel, and look honestly at what I have to work with. Sometimes that means sitting down with the numbers or talking with someone who knows me well. It also means telling God what I’m afraid of and admitting when I’m holding tightly to the answer I want.
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” — Matthew 6:33–34 (KJV)
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus has been talking about worries over everyday needs like food and clothing. He reminds His listeners that their Father knows what they need and calls them to put God’s kingdom first. I can still look carefully at the numbers, make a plan, and ask for wise counsel. But I can ask what faithfulness requires of me today without first knowing how tomorrow will turn out. There may be a promise I can keep or a conversation I can begin while I’m still waiting for a bigger answer.
Try this today · Take two minutes before you respond
Pick one conversation, call, or email you’ve been putting off. Before you respond, take two minutes and jot down three short lines.
What’s going on in me? Ask God to show you what’s driving your response. You might write, “I’m afraid they’ll be disappointed,” or “I’m frustrated because I thought we’d already agreed.”
What do I actually know? Write down one fact and one thing you still need to ask or confirm. For example, “I know the update is late. I still need to find out what got in the way.”
What’s one faithful thing I can do today? Make it specific. “I’ll call this afternoon, give the update I have, and ask what they need from me next.”
Then take that step. Later, notice what changed when you paused. You may have asked a better question, made a clearer commitment, or listened long enough to learn something you would have missed.
Three questions for reflection
What problem keeps coming up in my work or relationships, and what might God be showing me about my part in it?
Where am I waiting to feel more comfortable before I do something I already know is right? What would obedience look like today?
Who could grow if I worked alongside them, and what would I need to model before I asked them to carry more responsibility?
