Professional Christian Women Can Have Both a Career and Family
Diane Paddison on Book 'Work Love Pray: Practical Wisdom for Young Professional Christian Women'
The number of women entering the workforce has been steadily increasing over the past decade, but with the continued rise, many Christian women are questioning how they can be successful in the workplace while not compromising their faith or family.
This debate has long gone on, pitting the goals many women have for a career against balancing both their faith and their family. One professional Christian woman gave her own personal account of raising her children and overseeing two fortune 500 companies.
Diane Paddison, author of "Work Love Pray: Practical Wisdom for Young Christian Women," offers her own personal stories to make the case that the only thing needed for women to have a thriving career while raising a family is their faith.
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This may seem like an isolated occurrence, but the number of women in the work force is not slowing- in fact it's increasing at rates never seen before. 2009 was the first year that women outnumbered men in the workplace, and now currently women are the primary breadwinners for 40 percent of households. Of the total amount of women in the workplace, 70 percent are Christian.
Paddison, in her book, offers practical advice from a Christian woman's experience who has led several top U.S. companies, as well as detailing personal stories of her own struggles managing a large company while still maintaining her Christian identity.
At a recent event in New York City, Paddison was invited to lend her insight about the current state of corporate America while focusing on how Christian professionals. Christians who find themselves in a secular work environment can overcome their struggles of living through their faith while maintaining professional business relationships and a fulfilling and satisfying career.
One of the topics that was discussed dealt helping Christian professionals reconcile their personal anguish between being a living embodiment of their faith and being the consummate professional in the office place.
When asked how people should live their faith in the workplace, Paddison made it clear that Christians should be the embodiment of the gospel and that should show through their work and interactions.
"I think the most powerful way we can impact out work place is through following a quote that St. Francis of the CC shared and that is preach the gospel and if necessary use words," she said. "So I think just by how we treat teammates, how we treat the people who work for us and how we take care of our clients says so much about are faith."
Paddison insists that no one should hide their faith in the workplace, while suggesting women considering any position should be honest with themselves about their expectations. She also stresses setting personal limits in order to excel in their work without having to compromise their career or faith.
