When I was growing up, my family attended a church where every Sunday the pastor prayed Psalm 19:14 before he began his sermon. I used to think of this verse only in a larger context, something to be spoken before a crowd in a big moment. But recently I was reminded of this verse when our Bible study group walked through a book called Words Matter. I realized that these words are not just a verse to be spoken from a pulpit. They are important for the small moments of everyday life as well.
When new staff members join Peachtree, they spend two days in a training called “Insights.” At its simplest form, you take what you learn about yourself as a person and apply it to the way you communicate and lead others. The idea is that four colors—red, blue, yellow, and green—represent four different energies that make up each of our personalities. Though we all have some of each energy, every person is different in which energies are higher and lower on our individual spectrums. Still with me? We finish our training with a set of giant Lego blocks stacked according to our results. Of course, it’s nice to understand why I’m so spent after hosting a large event, or why I excel in my role on staff that requires a hefty amount of organization. But what I really notice is that when I go into my coworkers’ offices, I look at their blocks. Then I use each person’s communication style to discuss a task. I think back to emails when I might have interpreted a message as snippy and instead realize no one intended to be rude at all. That individual was simply leading with the preferred energy—to “be brief, be bright, and be gone.”
Where is my heart in these moments? Am I assuming the worst in people because they communicate in a different way than I want?
The way we communicate with others makes all the difference. Walking into a coworker’s office or into your child’s bedroom, sitting down with a spouse or friend after a long day—what’s on your heart? You’re tired, angry, or frustrated. Or maybe you’re excited, happy, and energetic. Will you let your feelings be reflected in what you say? Are you speaking words that God finds acceptable?
Use the small moments in everyday life to encourage. Let your heart be filled with patience and love. Whether you say it out loud or not, He is listening.