Our work or vocation is very much a part of the Gospel story. In this series, The Gospel Coalition India invites working professionals and entrepreneurs to reflect on their work through the five chapters of the Gospel narrative—creation, fall, redemption, renewal and new creation.
Andrew John Winney reflects on how his career in Management fits into the Gospel story.
Vocation: Please tell us about your work
I work in business and product strategy for a large Indian business group. I have a general role, where I am asked to wear different hats at different times. If there is a specific problem, I would have to solve it. I also handle product strategy for a business to business product and I am responsible for the Asia-Pacific market.
Creation: How does your work connect with God’s original creation plan for humanity?
If I go back to Genesis, God created the world and presented the world to Adam and Eve. He did not present a fully finished world. He presented a world which had all the ingredients, but a world that required to be worked on and kept. It needed to be ploughed.
God could have just kept paddy out there in a room, but he made sure that it needed work. In that way, I think he gave us this responsibility and stewardship over a lot of things in this world. That’s how I see work—it is something that God has made for us.
Fall: How is your work making you aware of your own brokenness and the brokenness of the world around you?
Two things come to my mind. First, I’m very ambitious in a lot of ways and I really want to outwork everyone around me. I want to make sure that I contribute more than all my peers. This drives me. This makes me selfish. I do not spend time enough with my family or with my friends. At times I do not take time for myself on weekends or weekday evenings. I tend to become obsessed with what I’m doing.
Second, there are times where I’m so concerned about what people perceive about my work. It sort of comes from the first part. And I put my trust on people and their perceptions and what they can do for me and not on God. I often forget it is God who is ultimately in control.
Redemption: Could you share a recent example of how the Gospel made you a better worker?
I always look to Joseph in the Bible for inspiration when it comes to work. A lot of times when I take a generalist role, I’m put in problems where there are people who are ingrained in it and know a lot more than I do. But God promised Joseph saying that he will win favour in the eyes of the Egyptians. I find encouragement in this.
Every time it’s a new problem, every time it’s a new set of people. . .if I put my trust only on my intellect (God given) I’m only going to go so far, but I humbly try to lean on God’s favour and wisdom to wade through each of these situations. Ultimately, it’s his world and he will help me steward it well.
Renewal: How are you able to love and serve others in and through your work?
There are times when people have good solutions and product knowledge, but they are not able to bring out the right strategy, approach. I help them to do things they do better but in a more structured way. I help bring some of the insights that they might not be able to, because they are so focused on building the core product.
New Creation: How do you connect your work here and now to our longing for the perfect world that Christ will bring when He comes again?
I sort of understand and accept the fact that today we live in a broken world. But God says that when he comes to live in this world, it’s going to be perfect. And even Jesus taught us to pray, may your kingdom come to this earth as it is in heaven. Even as I long and pine for the perfect world to come, I would like whatever decisions I take, or whatever actions I do here and now, to be reflective of the perfect world to come.
