Columns

Wearing your faith on your forehead

"You've got a big one," smiled the woman in the elevator of my office building. We instantly shared a bond - but probably not the kind you're thinking about.

By Steve Huettel, Times Staff Writer
Published February 24, 2008

"You've got a big one," smiled the woman in the elevator of my office building. We instantly shared a bond - but probably not the kind you're thinking about.

I had a black cross as wide as my palm smeared across my forehead. Hers was small and precise. The occasion was Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. It's also a significant date each year for some Christians, when we literally display our faith to everyone.

Of course, the statement takes on an entirely different dimension in the workplace. The office dictates specific rules of decorum. Expressions of political or religious beliefs are considered bad manners, if not specifically forbidden somewhere deep in the employee manual.

That aside, there's the personal discomfort factor. These are, after all, people you see every day and at least some of whom you consider friends. Or worse, your boss.

So, believers of any faith play it low-key. We slip words like "blessed" into office conversations or qualify our wishes with "God willing." Prayers and serious discussions are kept - quite appropriately - behind closed doors or during breaks outside the office.

Entries in our December holiday desk-decorating competition stuck to secular themes, with one exception: a cubicle with a Star of David hanging from the ceiling and Styrofoam menorah.

On that afternoon two weeks ago, my two closest colleagues broke the ice by simply saying, "Oh, it's Ash Wednesday." Others walked by silently, trying not to stare too long. That's fine, too. But sometimes the awkward moment can bear fruit.

A few years back, a fellow reporter pointed out the black spot and in a motherly gesture tried to wipe it off with her thumb. I explained Ash Wednesday and the season of repentance that reminds us we began as dust and to dust we will return.

No conversions; no violation of company policy I hope. Just a change to open a door of understanding.

Steve Huettel can be reached at huettel@sptimes.com or (813) 226-3384.

[Last modified February 25, 2008, 20:16:51]