Being a Christian in difficult work environments

One of the most difficult thing for many people is being a Christian in a work environment that is decidedly anti-Christian or that at least seems to reward approaches and activities that are un-Christian. The pressures on the Christian who works at home are real but far less than the pressures on the Christian who works in a situation that discourages a "black and white" ethic in favor of a "shades of gray" ethic. Among the professions that would fall into the latter category would have to be professional sports.

That's why it is so refreshing to see guys like Lovie Smith (coach of the Bears) and Tony Dungy (coach of the Colts) rising to the top in the NFL (their teams square off next weekend in the Super Bowl). Both these guys are professing Christians and publicly acknowledge this fact and, apparently, have coached and lived according to the Christian ethic they profess. In a recent article on the World Magazine website, Dungy is quoted as pointing to this aspect of Smith's life:

"He's [Coach Smith] going to get [to the Super Bowl] with a lot of class and no profanity," Dungy said...."We can show that not only can an African-American do it, but also Christian coaches can do it." (Click here for the full article, http://www.worldmag.com/articles/12639.)

I, for one, am pleased to see it. Christian coaches striving for and achieving success without compromising their Christianity in the process!