In life the little things make the
biggest difference. Make no mistake, I’m not calling
consideration a little thing, because it can have a big
impact, but consideration takes only a small amount of
effort. I look at it like love, only on a smaller scale.
Love is about sacrifice. We spend money and time to show
someone we love them. We aren’t going to spend that much
time and money on complete strangers or the people that we
only see in the grocery store, but simply smiling at them or
holding the door open for them can go a long way. One time
that I always make sure to show consideration at is when I
deal with customer service. I always feel bad for people who
work in customer service. All they deal with is complaints.
It’s one thing to get chewed out for something that you did
wrong, but it’s another to get yelled at for something you
had no control over. Consideration is living out the golden
rule. Treat others the way you want to be treated. A
friendly smile, concern for a coworker’s family, or help
fixing a flat tire has opened the door to share the gospel -
even if it doesn't immediately cause someone to give their
life to Christ.
We live in a rude world today.
Everyone is in a rush. Showing consideration will cause you
to stand out quickly. If you see someone once a week for
only a few minutes, or even more often, consideration will
cause a person to see that you are different in very little
time at all.
Courage
"The desire for safety stands against
every noble and great endeavor." – Tacitus
I believe that it is every Christian’s desire to do great
things for the kingdom of God. Our problem does not lie in
lack of ability. Our problem lies in a lack of confidence in
the abilities God gave us. Obviously this shouldn't be so,
because who are we to question the abilities God gave us and
find ourselves wanting? When faced with battle and the
obstacle of several nations to overcome, the Lord commanded
Joshua in Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and courageous. Do not be
terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will
be with you wherever you go."
To share the gospel takes courage.
When we have earned the right to be heard, we then need to
make sure that we are heard. It’s one thing to live a good
life, be full of the fruit of the Spirit, and be competent,
full of character, and consideration. If you are doing those
things, the opportunity to share you faith will present
itself. At that point, it takes courage to actually make you
be heard. If you are in the break room and coworkers are
talking about the court’s latest decision concerning
teaching evolution in the schools you need to have the
courage to say what you believe and why. If God is for us,
who can be against us?
Courage doesn’t just mean putting
yourself in way of bodily harm. It means that you take a
stand for what you believe in, even if people are going to
look at you weirdly or make fun of you. It means inviting
your neighbor to a church event even though you can’t
imagine they would want to go. It means that you are
competent and considerate at your job even when everyone
around you isn’t and encourages not to waste your time with
it. Courage means taking a stand to be different. If you are
earning the right to be heard, you want to be different and
you want others to notice that difference in you. That will
take courage.
Next Section -
Communication
