But God, demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8
In a meeting recently, we were given two scenarios and asked to respond right away with our gut reactions and how we would respond.
- “A team member walks in late for a meeting and silently sits down…”
- “Your manager tells you they are taking off the next three days, last minute and in the midst of a significant project…”
The interesting thing that happened was the responses for the first scenario were filled with grace. There was empathy and understanding, concern even. Yet, with the manager scenario, the opposite occurred. The responses were things like frustration, anger, and doubt – the opposite of grace.
Community
Building relationships and community at work takes time and community is formed when people can connect backgrounds, experiences, and stories. Leadership roles can be even more isolating, making it hard to connect and build community, and in an increasingly diverse and polarized world, it can seem like there is little common ground to be had. There are often culturally influenced factors that determine how much we get to know one another. Also, how do we navigate productivity, communication, and conflict if there is a lack of relationships, understanding, or common ground? Where might we find a common link in our stories from which we can move forward together?
Grace
“Instead of enjoying the freedom of God’s grace, serving and obeying out of gratitude, people have tried to add conditions. Instead of ‘love your neighbor as yourself’, it becomes specific conditions created by time, culture or place – you must be circumcised, you can’t drink alcohol, steer clear of this kind of food, etc. Others would use shame, guilt, or others’ insecurities to negate Gospel freedom. ‘But God, demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.’ Romans 5:8”
We all have access to this grace. It’s God’s desire for all people to know His saving love for us. What if we could all come from this common place of grace? It would be transformational! That is why BBT offers Bible studies that transcend backgrounds, culture, and denomination in a safe, confidential community for sharing life together under the blessing of God’s grace. However, I may be biased as BBT’s Curriculum Editor.
Are you seeking a transformational common ground?