Monday; December 17

One of the best ways to get along with others is to be able to see things through their perspective.  This sounds good, but how do we go about doing that?  No two people think the same way, nor do we really have the ability to “walk a mile in their shoes”.  So, how can we come to appreciate their point of view – here are a few thoughts:
1)  Watch for the priorities in their life.  Do they take a “legalistic” stance on issues or are they more apt to see issues through the lenses of mercy?  We don’t have to agree with their perspective, but understanding what makes them tick can help us find common grounds.
2)  Ask them about their lives.  We are fashioned by nature and nurture.  While people are shaped by their emotional and educational growth, our environment has a lot to do with our preferences and perspectives.  The more we learn about someone’s past influences, the better we will be able to understand how they got to where they are – and how they perceive where they should be going.  Again, we may not share a similar background, but by understanding what shaped them can help us build bridges.
3)  Realize that there is not always one “right” way to do something.  It is tempting to believe in the “my way or the highway philosophy” – if you don’t do (or see) things the way I do then you must be wrong and we cannot co-exist.  While I believe there are some absolute truths, I think there are fewer of them than we pretend.  When we come to a belief that there are often multiple options to address a situation, we can focus on solving the problem rather than being derailed by the process.
          Think About It!

Popular posts from this blog

Thursday; May 3

I have a fish tank that allows my three Bettas (Larry, Darrell and Darrell) to live in the same structure, but remain hidden from each other – well sort of.   When I go to feed the fish, I believe that one of the Darrell’s can sort of see that the other Darrell is getting fed and he will linger over on that side of the tank even after I put his food in his tank.   I have to tap on the side of the tank where his food is floating to help him refocus and eat.   I get the impression that he is so interested in what is going on in the other Darrell’s tank that he can’t enjoy his own food. I have been told that the brain of a fish is pretty small – which explains their inability to process “blessings”, but are we guilty of the same malady as Darrell?   Are we so worried (or consumed) by what happens to the people around us that we fail to realize what is going on with us?   Are we envious of the blessings that others are receiving and end up missing out on what we have been given?   Are w
Read more

Thursday; February 14

         While most of us are familiar with today being Valentine’s Day, there are some who actually refer to February 14 th as “St. Valentine’s Day”.  This title is often affixed to a criminally historic event known as “The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre” on February 14, 1929 in Chicago, but that is another story for another time.  Not knowing much about the history of “Saint Valentine” I did a little research and found out he was a Roman religious leader who was martyred in 269 AD.  According to my limited research Valentine was killed because of his encouragement of Roman men (especially soldiers) to marry which was in violation of Claudias’ edict that prohibited marriage to keep their minds singularly focused on their task of defending the Empire.  Somehow, from this beginning – and possibly embellished by Chaucer – St. Valentine became intertwined with the concept of romantic love.           I am not really sure how February 14 th became connected with love, but inspired by thi
Read more

Wednesday; December 6

What does it mean to be a leader? I subscribe to the belief that a leader is someone who seeks the best for others and works with them to achieve their potential. There are others; however, who define leadership as the ability to have a vision and the tenacity to get their own way. Leaders who are this way are often portrayed as having developed the maturity to manipulate people to do things their way. However, is the ability to drive people in our direction mature or is it childish? The Christians of the 1st Century came from a lot of different backgrounds and had to work hard to work together. As the Apostle Paul challenged Christians in the city of Ephesus he challenged them to accept individual differences, “… until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. “ (Ephesians 4:13). Bossiness was not to be viewed as a sign of maturity, a willingness to wo
Read more