Beautiful

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Dealing with Coworkers and Other People in Our Lives by Laurie Neumann

Hello,

I have a blog post by a very special lady today. I love getting her emails. She has a Biblical approach to life and business. You can get in touch with her here.





If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men." Romans 12:18

I believe we should apply this verse to all of our relationships, whether it be a spouse, a friend, a family member or a co-worker. What is this verse saying? That we should live in peace with others as much as we possibly can. I do not believe this means to let others walk all over us or take advantage of us. I do feel that, as much as we are able, we should treat others with respect and kindness. We may still need to stand up for some things which will cause disagreements, but we need to consider how we present ourselves.
Do we speak with kindness or harshly? Remember what it says in Proverbs 15:1 "A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger."

The only person you can control is YOU. You can choose how you answer and speak to others, but cannot control how they, in turn, act toward you. It can be quite challenging when you are trying to treat others from a Biblical perspective only to find them less than kind or accommodating. However, again, your responsibility, according to Matthew 7:12 is to treat others the way you want to be treated, even if you are not.

Let's say you deal with unhappy customers, whether it be in your own business or as an employee. You most likely run into some that are not very polite in requesting a refund. How do you respond? Think about how you would want to be treated. I know you may be more polite about returning a product, but just think about someone who is frustrated because the product isn't going to do what they need it to. Or maybe they misunderstood what they were buying. Whatever the case, how would you want to be responded to?

I have found, no matter who it is, that things that happen in their life, or have happened in the past, shape how they act today. We may not be aware of what others are dealing with, and on the outside, they just appear mean or not to like us. But it usually goes deeper than that. However, many times, consistent kindness can turn things around.

Whatever the outcome, you can be at peace knowing that you are acting and responding in a way that God is pleased with.

Written by Laurie Neumann. Would you like some Biblical insight into running a business that honors God? You can download Laurie's FREE devotional and get ten Biblical principles that will change the way you do business. Sign up for the free report at Christian Business Principles.

2 comments:

CandyFoote said...

Great article, Laurie!

Laurie Neumann said...

Thanks Candy! And thank you, Karen for the opportunity to write for your blog.