Looking back on the semester as Christmas approaches, I would like to take some time to list some areas that have come to the forefront of my mind due to MGT 501. I have been challenged to think about how my faith effects how I do business. I always believed that my actions in business presented a good testimony of my faith, but this class has broadened my horizons to areas that I never thought about. My belief is that all of my actions should be acts of worship to God, and in doing so, I should strive to show the love of Jesus to everyone. Merely behaving ethically within a narrow view of the world is not the best I can do. I have been convicted of holding too narrow of a world view. The areas that I have a new focus on are my stewardship of what God has given me, and how what I do effects others that I don’t come in contact with. My main goal is now to evaluate how my business practices reflect my commitment to serving God in a manner pleasing to Him.
Secondly, it was nice to be involved in a project that will have a lasting effect on the community. My part in the bike rack project really utilized my construction knowledge from my past as well as my experience working on strategic planning and building committees. The best thing about it is that years from now I can show my children the racks all around the city and the county and tell them I had a part in bringing them to the area. Hopefully they will learn the importance of community involvement.
The best part of the class was having a structured time to evaluate how my business and other businesses are dealing with sustainability and social justice issues. Sometimes the day to day rigmarole get in the way of being able to take time to do that type of reflection. I will try to keep that as part of my routine.
