I get asked one question almost everyday:

“Excuse me sir. Do you work here?”

Who me? The guy with the headset and walkie talkie on, the guy with the nametag and lanyard with the store name on it, the guy who’s putting all the shoes back on the shelf? Why yes, in fact I do work here!

I just don’t get it. To me, it should be obvious to customers that I’m an employee. I can’t quite figure out how some people can’t quite figure it out.

Apparently though, there’s something more I should be doing. My labor is not bearing fruit in their eyes.

Maybe there are other things I should be focusing on. I’m sure I could be talking to customers more, engaging with them instead of doing all the daily tasks of the shoe department. Maybe then people would recognize who I work for.

The whole thing makes me think of that age-old guilt producing Sunday School question: “If you were put on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to find you guilty?”

It’s kind of cheesy, but I still think it’s a good question. After all, the Bible tells us if we have the Holy Spirit in us there should be fruits of the spirit produced in our lives. If we are truly followers of Christ, people should be able to tell who we work for.

If someone walked by you, would they have to ask if you were a Christian, or would they notice something different about you?

I think what I fear most about my job is actually this – that the people walking by and the people I work with don’t see my faith. I fear I do not bear fruit in my daily life.

It’s one thing to not be doing enough to look like a department store employee. I’m ok with that. To be fair, we don’t even have matching uniforms. Maybe the employees are harder to pick out than I believe.

It’s another thing altogether to consider myself a Christian and not be doing enough each day to proclaim my faith to the world.

Certainly our works will not save us. But certainly faith without actions is dead. We must know the peace of our salvation free from our worthiness and find a purpose of service inspired by this freedom.

Just because I hate my job doesn’t give me an excuse to bury my faith at work. Just the opposite – it’s should be the ideal opportunity for faith to grow and be on display.

After all, the kingdom of God is the employer I want to be recognized for.

What about you? When you go to work, do people know who you are working for?