Drew Altizer / Financial Times / Flickr
When 'Leaning In' Isn't Enough
Marissa Mayer does it. Condeleezza Rice admits to it; so does Meg Whitman. And while I suspect Sheryl Sandberg indulges, in Lean In, her bestselling new non-fiction grenade on girl-power in high corporate places, the topic never comes up.
The topic is prayer—God's finger on the scales of life balance—and while I understand why Sandberg might leave it in the closet for this book, for Christians, in this case Christian women professionals, no conversation about real power or genuine influence can go without it.
I speak now from my own needs and my own path through college and business school, corporate America, marriage, a divorce, single parenting, remarriage/instant family-blending, and life's inevitable blindsides when I say that where a woman stands—in heels or otherwise—profoundly links to an act in private, in her closet, under her breath, mentally, in the car, and in groups of likeminded believers.
If I didn't know from Christ's example and guidance, I'd know from my own stumbling that in the plate glass halls of power only God can pull us to the right side of the unseen lines between using people as objects and seeing them as people... between human aggression and divine boldness... between risk and recklessness. Business has exposed me to some exceptional thinkers, and several stand out, but only prayer can bring wisdom that transcends human decision-making. Prayer for humility (and for the desire for it) is the only effective means I know to erase lines between leadership and the life of a servant.
Sheryl Sandberg, 43 years old, is COO of a globe-spinning communications revolution, and though we haven't met, I believe I would like her. As Facebook's COO, through breakthroughs and breakdowns, she's one for the history books. As a woman at the tip of a major corporate cone, she also urges other women to go higher, and that's impressive.
Yes, God calls many women to full-time life at home. Some he calls to singleness. I believe He also calls some of us both to family and to the marketplace, medicine, politics, law, engineering, art… and I believe that call came to me. And so I believe that by excellence and ethics, by example, ever imperfectly, and through ingenuity and the joy of using God-given skills, men and women both can be salt and light across the world's many workplaces.
Did I say life balance is easy? Did I say I got it right, or that I've reached enlightenment? I hope you hear none of that. Like large sticky notes on my days, my roles at home, at work, in parenting, and as a wife and friend remind me, as the saying goes, that there is a God and it's not me. But sticky notes notwithstanding, I believe God wants me to share what I know.
The Seminary Gender Gap
RSS
Twitter
Facebook
Pinterest
Comments
Merry Hunt
as Lisa explained I didnt even know that a student able to earn $8766 in 4 weeks on the internet. did you see this link jump15.com
Melanie Springer Mock
My experiences are similar to Hannah's. When my husband and I were in the process of adopting our children, it was automatically assumed that I would leave my Christian workplace to be a stay-at-home mom. Although I continued to work at the institution, I felt judged for my choice--both implicitly judged, but also explicitly (as in "You're STILL working?" and "Where are your kids every day?!") Prayer may help as will the acknowledgement of God's power to work in one's life, but the community of colleagues also needs to acknowledge that sometimes women are called to be mothers AND have a vocation outside the home, and that they can "lean in" to both.
Hannah N.
I appreciate your perspective, Diane. This article has gotten me thinking about Christian organizations and their attitudes toward women in the workplace, though. During my time in Christian organizations, I often have not felt an institutional commitment to women "leaning in" to their careers. I have worked in places where, if you became pregnant, there was an implicit assumption that you would be leaving the workplace to become a stay-at-home mom or would stop working as hard. Certainly secular workplaces can also have similar cultures. I am wondering if any others have had similar experiences. For those who work in Christian workplaces, have they been supportive of work/life balance, or not so much?
Tim Fall
This article - and especially your conclusion - is excellent, Diane. The one who makes it all possible in the workplace, at home, in the classroom, or wherever, is God and not us. I'd have chosen to characterize prayer as something other than God's finger on the scales of life, but your discussion following that phrase really gets to the point of prayer - relationship with God, not magical incantations for making our lives better. Nice job. Cheers, Tim (More on parents, work and wisdom: ow.ly/jdmMi )
*