A Life Pattern of an Insider – From Metro Detroit’s Faith@Work Team
Initiative: making the first move, and the second and the third. Moving out of our comfort zone and into the place of your workmate or neighbor. For some of us it’s as natural as breathing. For others, the last thing we want to do. Either way, we need to see others through God’s eyes and get His heart. We can ask for that and He will give it.
In Matthew 5-7, Jesus speaks about kingdom values, attitudes and actions. As kingdom citizens, we do see people through new eyes and with a new heart and it’s not simply out of obligation but of genuine interest.
Have you noticed the effect of looking someone in the eyes and smiling, or of a simple ‘Good morning’? Do you take time to notice the people you work with, or the gal at the checkout register, the server in the restaurant? Do you see him or her as a person made in the image of God?
So some tips on initiatives, not big deals but powerful in their impact:
- Be the first to say ‘Hi’ or ‘Good morning’ and look your co-worker in the eye with a smile that says, ‘I value you’.
- Use their name (remember their name!). It’s been said that a person’s name is the sweetest and most important sound in any language.
- Take a genuine interest in their lives. Show concern. Remember (write down) what they share (names, events, etc), pray for them, and ask about the situation later.
- Learn to ask questions and listen, listen, listen. We like to be heard, don’t we? Work may be busy, but you can take 2-3 minutes here and there to connect.
C.S. Lewis said, ‘You have never met an ordinary mortal‘. Taking initiatives like these show that you care. And people may not really care what you know until they know that you care.