Dear gracious Heavenly Father, give us the right attitude to see the world the way You do. Embracing differences, seeing other people through Divine eyes.
Wow, do we all need help?
Welcome, listeners! Today's episode addresses relationships with humans and they're significantly different from ourselves. That's pretty much the point, right?
Differentiation therefore is divine. If you will kindly endure for just the next couple moments, your walk-away benefits from listening to this audio clip include:
Number one, learning to see the Divine design in every person you meet. WOW!
Practical ways to affirm those with different gifts than yours:
Bible wisdom for handling challenging relationships with gracia! Gracia!
Acknowledge the differences are to be celebrated beyond tolerated and they have to feel it.
Establish that our natural human response often fails us in these situations. We must be intentional and spirit-filled to not fall into this trap. Preview that will explore Bible principles for seeing others as God sees them.
You ready?
Number 1: Recognize the Creator Hiding Behind the Creation
Key point: Who made that person?
Right there, that guy. Who made that person? Appreciate their Author.
We must experience appreciation for the Creator as the artistic designer behind the art piece. Just as we associate art with an artist, we should associate unique individuals with their intentional Creator. Therefore, we can stir up admiration for God as the Chief Engineer of every person we meet.
"So, God created man in His own image and the image of God created Him male and female created them."
Number 2: Choose the Supernatural Response
Key point: Do the natural opposite.
Our natural response is often criticism, judgment, elevating self above others. Because why not? It's so natural. The supernatural response is to esteem others highly for love's sake. This requires Divine assistance for absolutely.
It's... I mean, where are those glasses? I can't see the way God sees. Bible says, "Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory that's overpuffing, emptiness. “But in lowliness of mind, let each esteem other better than themselves.”
Esteem comes from estimate.
Abraham Lincoln said, "I don't like that guy. I've got to get to know him better."
Yep. Discuss amongst yourselves how Lincoln understood the value of intentionally moving toward understanding especially irritating people rather than away from them in a facade of judgment.
Number 3: Recognize the Divine Gifting
You covered that already. Oh, but let's look at it afresh. Identify the gift in others, the peculiar special specific gift that differentiates them and makes them indeed unique. Not just unique, but unique.
Each person is a carrier, not the source of their own gifts. Hopefully they carry them well. They were deemed worthy by the Creator to receive a specific set of giftings. If they have received Christ the Holy Spirit has given them gifts according to His will for His purpose.
"Who are thou then that judges another man's servant to his own master he standeth or falleth?"
Remember Paul and Barnabas? Barnabas, I mean the poor guy, he couldn't even figure out who he was. It seems that Paul kind of came along and helped identify the gifts of Barnabas in the rough. Barnabas was just a big fluffy teddy bear, trying to protect the weak and the younger.
Barnabas recognized that, Hey! God's doing something inside of Paul before it was obvious to others. Paul, sorry, Barnabas believed that the transformation power of God was possible to even rescue a Paul. Then, Paul saw the gifts inside Barnabas being a tenderhearted man that was not very self-introspective and he needed the confirmation and affirmation of a Paul to help him achieve his maximum potential in ministry.
And that relationship between those 2 guys who believed in the God Who was working diligently in the other one created a great symbiotic harmony that is notorious through the centuries.
Real-World Application
How do we apply this? Let's use a real-world scenario.
Every single one who runs a company or a team or a family, you're going to run into an irritating person called the overly helpful person, smiley face. Thank you for helping! Just sto!
Scenario: Someone who is excessively creative or overly helpful.
Here's the wrong approach: Shut them down. Dismiss their ideas. Tell them to stop block, crush, destroy. Tell them. It's not welcome here.
Better approach: Affirm their gifts and provide some general boundaries.
Example resprants. Resprants. I put response and script together and they don't merge. Resprants.
"I appreciate that you have evidently been given a gift from God for in a creative perspective and I appreciate that. I recognize the effort that you put into this concept you're conveying took a lot of time and energy.
However, based on factors beyond my control both in the market and in our company currently, we don't see this concept being the best priority right now. Although we're not entirely dismissing it. Please continue to send us more of your ideas. We appreciate the effort of love. Even if just 2 out of a hundred of your concepts eventually..."
Child illustration like a child who keeps drawing artistic renderings out of crayons. Do we crush and crumple his soul or encourage and express and display? We can easily crumple an adult's soul by rolling our eyes at their ideas. Just go away.
Why force others to speak our language instead of just letting them express love in their own way? Tell them, "You're weird. I still love you. Keep doing it." Allow people to continue being other people rather than demanding uniformity, conformity and ultra.
"Therefore, comfort yourselves together and edify one another even as also ye do."
Edify, build up. But don't make them build your way, I guess.
David and Jonathan: Unlikely Teammates
David and Jonathan were unlikely teammates. They had difference in position, different background. One dad was trying to kill the other guy. Jonathan saw that God had chosen David. And this should have caused them to be mortal, natural enemies. You're gonna come after my throne?
Jonathan affirmed David's calling even when it meant yielding his own birthright. That's a different response. Their bond demonstrates how Divine perspective transcends natural human reactions. They became unlikely teammates, complimenting each other's strengths while retaining differences.
Here's a quote from a guy named Stephen Grellett. How'd you like to have that last name? You'd have to spell it for everybody.
"I expect to pass through this world but once. Any good therefore that I can do or any kindness I can show to any fellow creature. Let me do it now."
That's pretty good quote, huh? The urgency of treating others with Divine perspective in the immediate.
The Challenge
Accept team members who challenge your leadership. If nobody challenges your leadership, you're not leading anyone including yourself. That's really too harsh to say without laughter. Oh, man! There's going to be... Sir, do you have a question? Are you challenging me in public? Can you do that? That's not in the policy book.
We must therefore accept challenges without obliterating the individual. Don't jump.
Everyone has gold inside. It takes effort to harvest and refine that gold. And few people are able to be gold miners. Takes way too much effort to figure out what's good about certain people. Everyone is useful to some degree. They need to feel that from us. It's our responsibility to affirm their significance.
“Sir, you have obvious Divine significance.”
Main Principles
Number 1: Appreciate the Creator's work and working in each person.
Number 2: Choose the supernatural response over the natural repulsion. "You're different. You're... different."
Number 3: Recognize Divine giftings in others. It's a Divine gifting.
Number 4: Respond with affirmation even if boundaries are needed. "I like what you're doing. Continue on. Yes, it's a little bit annoying but I can handle it."
Your Challenge This Week
This week, actually today, let's play a game. Identify one person you find difficult and intentionally acknowledge their Divine gifting. The Divine gifting working within them. Or encourage them to use it more. Maybe they don't even know.
Oh, this is the most convicting verse.
"And be ye kind" Sounds hard.
"One to another." My responsibility. Regardless of their response.
I, ONE toward another, single direction.
“Be ye kind ONE to another, tenderhearted, forgiving ONE another, even as God (super level) for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you!”
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