For many Christians, the concept of bringing Sunday faith into Monday work is something that doesn’t become clear until several decades into their careers. And some, unfortunately, never make the connection. So when a young person understands this important principle, it is cause for celebration. Emily Grant is one of those people.

After attending the University of Cincinnati, Emily landed a position at age 20 as an administrative assistant for a local food brokerage. Two years later she received a promotion and currently serves as an Associate Business Manager, assisting the Business Managers on the Fresh Team of her company. In that role she works on customer relations, data analysis, and other tasks helping clients get their products into a large grocery chain.

When talking about her spiritual walk at work, Emily says, “When I first started this job I was so grateful because it’s a faith based company. But.when I first started, someone told me, on the side, that not everybody here is a Christian. And so I drew the line in the sand. Then about a year in, I recognized the opportunity that I have. I could just be myself, to grow in my faith, to grow in my relationship with God, but also love people authentically. I feel like I’ve truly leaned into that, and I’ve been so blessed to have the opportunity.”

Emily has seen her posture of kindness pay off in relationships at work. She tells of a particular situation where one of her coworkers was struggling. She comments, “Everybody has something going on. You never know what somebody is going through. and I love that that’s always being repeated in the background where I work. So I really tried to lean into that with this person internally in our organization. I felt like once I really supported this person; I asked them how they’re really doing and what are you going through? How can I help? I felt like this person reciprocated the love, and also really appreciated my support. I was able to actually help.”

She continues by commenting that sometimes you don’t really know what to do but “I just felt the Lord tell me to lean on your strengths, which is just support and love. I try to be kind and compassionate, really lean into that and practice it. And I saw it pay off.”
This is a lesson that many of us who have been in the workplace for decades would be wise to learn.
Emily lives in Mason, Ohio with her husband Josh, and their dog Phoebe.