the Monday Morning Debrief: Watching what we say and do
Last week, tragic events happened in England. Jacintha Saldanha, who was tricked by Agustriallian DJs to give away information about Katherine, Duchess of Cambridge, pregnancy, committed suicide. The reason why she committed suicide was because she couldn’t bear with the embarrassment and pain of being tricked by the DJs. As a result of this, the 2 Austrialian DJs left their jobs indefinitely and commented by saying how sorry they were
So how does this apply to ministry?
We never know how what we say and what we do to others can impact others. Do I honestly believe these 2 DJs meant to hurt people by their hoax? No way. But, because they chose to do this prank, it impacted not just 1 person but a whole family and many others. These DJs are not responsible for what this woman chose to do in response to their prank but I wish (and I’m sure they wish this too) they would have thought through the ramifications of their actions before they did it.
In the same way, what we say and do for a good laugh or joke may have unintended consequences on others. It may cause someone feeling excluded or “less than” others. Again, it is my hope that anything I have ever said or done has never made anyone feel this way, but when I hear things about what happened to this nurse, it is a huge reminder for me to be very careful of what I say to others and how I treat them. I cannot control what people do in their own lives when they are not around me, but what I can control is how I treat them. And as the Family Guy at New Life and a follower of Christ, I owe it to everyone I come into contact with to treat them as Christ would.
So right now, TAKE A MINUTE and think through how you are treating those around you and those you minister to. Are you treating them in a Christlike way or some other way? My encouragement is to not let a “chuckle” or a “good laugh” be at someoens expense. You never know what is really going on with them and how they might feel or respond to it.
Thoughts? Comments? Experiences? Post in the comment section below so that we can all learn and benefit from it.
