Thursday, August 25, 2016

The Forward Day by Day Meditation for August 25, 2016

From Forward Day By Day

John 7:24 (NRSV) Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.

For years I played the role of the self-appointed “Captain of the World,” correcting everybody in order to “help” them be better. It was a lonely role but necessary if the world was ever going to be set aright—and someone had to do it. One year, I gave it up for Lent. Life has been a lot better since I resigned my captaincy.

In various seminars, I would caution supervisors and managers not to run around looking for and finding fault with everything, playing referee, throwing flags, calling strikes, putting people into penalty boxes. I tried to impart wisdom from The One-Minute Manager: “Instead of catching people doing things wrong, make it your job to catch people doing things right.” This mindset changes you and your work environment. This goes for family, friends, fellow congregants, and clergy too.

Judging with right judgment might also mean looking for things that are right in others as we dig below the surface to understand where they are coming from—sometimes it’s a place deserving of applause, not criticism.

Join more than a half million readers worldwide who use Forward Day by Day as a resource for daily prayer and Bible study.

No comments:

Post a Comment