Thursday; July 16


         Have you noticed how easy it is to like the people who like us?  (I can hear a collective, “No duh” at the previous statement.)  While it is obvious, it is also true.  We don’t have any problem hanging around our friends and those who are like-minded.  The challenge is that there may be some people who don’t like us and a whole lot of people who don’t know us.  Life would be simple if we always got to be around allies, but much of it happens when we are thrown together with the rest of the world. 
          The reason I bring this up is that the make-up of a socially and spiritually mature person is that they can deal with the rest of the people the rest of the time.  They have the ability to tolerate those who have issues with them and the personality to make those they don’t know feel comfortable with them.  Often, when people think about Christians, they envision people who don’t have “people skills”, but in reality, the people who have a deep relationship with God are those who have the ability to love and be at peace with others.  When Jesus described to those who could become His disciples He sought out those who love everyone by noting, “For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?” (Matthew 5:46).
          Let’s put forth the effort to develop good relationships between all types of people – even those who have issues with us.  We don’t have to be friends with everyone, but we had better be able to treat them all with the respect they deserve.
Think About It!

Popular posts from this blog

Tuesday; November 29

The biblical story of the Good Samaritan has changed our world. Notice I didn’t say that it had change religion or even Christianity, it has influenced the world. There are very few people who don’t know the moral of Jesus’ parable about the Good Samaritan. In fact, the phrase has become a common description of everyday people doing good to their neighbors. While Jesus’ parable from Luke 10 shares several spiritual lessons, one of the most practical is that good can be done by anyone. You don’t have to be a church official to do good, it is not only possible for each one of us to help, it is required of all of us. If a Samaritan can be good, so can we! After presenting the parable, Jesus asked the man who had originally asked the question about being a good neighbor which character in the story was a good neighbor, “… he said, ‘The one who showed mercy toward him.’” at which point, the discussion from theoretical to personal, “Then Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do the same.’” (Luke
Read more

Thursday; January 12

The other day I was watching a television show that used a rather common term applied to overcoming challenges. When organizations experience unexpected setbacks – especially when they lose key people – they rely upon the concept of “Next Man Up”. In essence, when our starters (or stars) go down, effective organizations rely upon their next levels to step into the vacancy. While this is an effective response, have we given much thought as to how we prepare to be the “next people up”? First, we must know our job. Even when we aren’t the primary players, we need to be preparing ourselves to be ready when we get the opportunity to shine. Second, we must do our best when we get the chance. Knowledge is important but what turns potential into talent is effort. Yet, maybe the most underappreciated aspect of this concept is a willingness avoid excuse-making and whining about the unfairness of our situation. When we complain about the circumstances that caused the need for replacements
Read more

Monday; September 25

When I was a youngster, I remember hearing about this thing called the Generation Gap. I was a little bit too young to be active in the social movements of the 1960s, but I do remember listening to the challenges the generations were experiencing way back then. Interestingly, now that I have been on both sides of the aging process, I have to admit that the Gap of the 1960s was nothing new. With the development of each generation comes conflict. The young people don’t feel like the older people understand them and the older folks tend to believe their input is being underappreciated. Too often trust is the casualty when two generations collide. The sad thing is that it doesn’t have to be this way. When we can capture the innovation and energy of the younger folks and harness the wisdom of those who have been around for a while we can develop a winning combination. No, we won’t always see things eye-to-eye nor will we necessarily speak the same emotional language, but when we app
Read more