For many in the Co-vid global pandemic, emotions have risen to a level of panic. But followers of Jesus Christ are exercising faith over Coronavirus fear.
Not to be cavalier or careless. But to remain calm and confident.
To the non-religious, faith may seem overly simplistic. A form of hypothetical idealism. Or irrational, wishful thinking.
Yet, Christ-followers express a calm and confidence that’s undeniably real. And also appealing.
So if you’re wondering. Or curious. Or fearful enough to consider it. Here are three ways for exercising faith over Coronavirus fear.
Exercising Faith Over Coronavirus Fear Finds Security In A Sovereign God
We naturally seek to control our sense of security. First, through our individual abilities and resources. Then pursued through others like parents, family, significant others and friends.
And finally,
looking to government.
But the current Coronavirus Fear has shaken that up. Even government leaders admit they don’t have all the answers. Are unsure. Can’t give complete assurance. And that is unnerving.
For it’s the ultimate reminder–no one on earth is really in control.
However, Christ-followers are confident that God IS in control. That He cares about His creation. Down to each person.
And He has an ultimate plan for our spiritual well-being that is claimed through faith.
Exercising Faith Over Coronavirus Fear Trusts In God’s Word
Followers of Jesus Christ find reassurance over Coronavirus Fear by reading and studying God’s Word.
Not a faith, based on sentimental goodwill. But informed through Biblical knowledge, understanding and spiritual wisdom.
For it is understood and lived out by scriptural teachings. Authored by a sovereign God. And demonstrated through the life and death of Jesus Christ.
In the Bible, Christ-followers find reassurance, practical instructions and how to live with purposeful meaning.
They also gain spiritual guidance through historical narratives, relevant stories and real life principles.
In other words, the Bible is a treasure chest of God’s truth.
Exercising Faith Over Coronavirus Fear Anticipates An Eternal Destination
Christ-followers view death on earth as a beginning rather than end. It’s the start of a new, eternal life in heaven. Lived in community with other Christ-followers and an awesome God.
It’s the promise Christ-followers live for. And Christian martyrs died for. Although puzzling to those outside the faith. Yet, it’s still within their reach.
Furthermore, exercising faith over Coronavirus Fear provides the most powerful force on earth. Hope. Through faith, Christ-followers possess ultimate answers and a sure path forward.
Amazing, certain and available to all who choose to exercise faith. It creates calm and confidence rather than worry and dread.
A Get’er Done Influential Leader takes charge even when not in charge. They lead through influence rather than authority. And they earn that influence by demonstrating these four traits.
A Get’er Done Influential Leader Demonstrates Vision
A Get’er Done Influential leader looks beyond the present. The status quo. And playing it safe. He sees the big picture and considers ways to improve it. Knowing it might involve risk. And owning that too.
A Get’er Done Influential Leader asks what if? What if we tried this? Did that? Made a change here? Adjusted there? Because vision becomes a mission. One that captures the imagination and invites people to join something bigger than themselves. And they’re action oriented. They ponder possibilities and pursue opportunities that create forward momentum.
A Get’er Done Influential Leader Demonstrates Character
Get’er Done Influential Leaders seek collaboration rather than compliance. Therefore, integrity matters. Why? Because influence thrives on the heels of trust and respect. In leadership ability and reliability as an individual. So Get’er Done Influential Leaders strive for consistent behavior. Leading by example in words and deeds. They understand that people don’t just follow a cause, but the person who leads it.
A Get’er Done Influential Leader Maximizes Relationships
Building relationships doesn’t have to mean Hallmark moments. But it does mean investing time in others. And treating them with respect. Think genuine interest and mindful thoughtfulness in building those relationships. This creates a “stickyness” that retains others in collaborative efforts. It promotes loyalty and the likelihood they will join your endeavors.
An Influential Leader Practices Persuasion
Get’er Done Influential Leaders maximize persuasion rather than power. They convince rather than demand followers to join their worthwhile mission. So your vision should be compelling. Your passion contagious. And your mission easy to communicate with a clear path towards the solution. Therefore, as others catch and share the vision, grow in passion and join the mission, you’ll build a positive culture with unifying movement towards success.
About Chip Tudor:
Chip Tudor is an author, blogger and professional writer. He publishes books, humorous Christian drama, and thought provoking blogs from a Christian worldview.This blog is originally published here.
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A Christian disciple is a follower of Jesus Christ. Someone who embraces His teachings and imitates His life.
But what does that actually look like in today’s world?
Although not a complete list, here are five distinctions in a Christian disciple of Jesus.
A Christian Disciple Pursues a Growing Personal Relationship with Jesus Christ
Discipleship is not static. Accept Jesus Christ as Savior and join the heavenly “in” crowd. Rather, it’s growing and dynamic. And actively pursues an ongoing, deepening relationship with Christ.
A disciple’s life visibly displays the presence of Jesus.
Although they aren’t perfect and still fail sinfully at times. But they press forward through repentance on a spiritual journey of transformation.
They favor relationships over religious practices. And in those relationships, the fruit of God’s Spirit is evident in their lives.
A Christian Disciple is Devoted to Prayer and Studying God’s Word Personally and in Community
A disciple desires to know God, understand His word and enjoys hanging out with His people.
They invest time in prayer, studying God’s Word and building mutually accountable, supportive relationships with other Christ followers. Not have to. Want to.
As a result, disciples grow in personal convictions that govern a Godly life more than religious rules.
A Christian Disciple Regularly Worships with Other Followers of Jesus Christ
Disciples approach worship as a delight, not a duty. A family celebration as children of God.
Because through worship, disciples are spiritually energized as they express praise to God as a community of faith.
For in Christ, disciples find their true identity, purpose and meaning. They acknowledge their human weakness, dependence on God and one another.
And in so doing, form a resilient network through the power of God’s Spirit and a vibrant community of faith.
A Christian Disciple Embraces a Lifestyle of Serving
Jesus personally demonstrated to his disciples what it means to serve by washing their feet during the last supper. And then offered His life as the ultimate sacrifice.
His words and example were consistent. His expectations clear. Jesus calls disciples to serve others. Both individually and corporately as Christ-followers.
Therefore, disciples serve willingly, joyfully and indiscriminately. Without expecting gratitude. As an expression of their love for Christ. Knowing that to serve others is to serve Jesus.
A Christian Disciple Engages in Making Other Disciples
It was Jesus’ last instruction to his disciples—Go and make disciples. In other words, disciples are to engage others in following Jesus. In discipleship.
It’s not an option. It’s a divine mission.
Therefore, disciples make their faith public rather than private. They use their abilities and influence to advance God’s Kingdom.
And they understand that discipleship is a process. Often messy, with everyone on a different journey.
But they invite all to join. And speak into their lives through prayer, encouragement, insights from scripture and personal stories.
Since Christian disciples follow Biblical teachings, they live contrary to modern culture. And yet, paradoxically, by refreshing others, they in turn, are refreshed.
Get’er done leaders oversee teams that make things happen. They…
Perform tasks
Execute
programs
Produce
deliverables
And Get’er done leaders help them do so successfully and with excellence.
Of course there are other elements too. Setting the vision, establishing goals. Followed by strategic planning, training and ongoing development.
And you have to manage resources—both people and material. But it all moves to a natural conclusion. A product, a service, a result. And whatever that is, your job is to promote forward team progress.
Here are four Do’s to help Get’er done leaders build successful Get’er done teams.
Get’er Done Leaders Do Support Team Member Initiatives
I see leaders take
an administrative, hands-off, delegation approach in working with their team
members. I’m the boss. You’re the subordinate. I tell you what to do and you do
it.
Now perhaps you’re thinking this is how you treat team members as professionals. Give them a job and expect them to do it. In reality however, they often have questions and uncertainties, but don’t speak up for fear of looking incompetent.
Can I be honest? That makes absolutely no sense to me.
Creating Team Success
Your primary job as a Get’er done leader is team success. And that means making yourself available to support team members as needed.
So don’t make assumptions. And don’t wait for them to come to you. Pursue them and offer your help. And don’t be above getting your hands dirty if that’s what it takes.
Therefore, your willingness to support team members—even in menial tasks—is huge. It tells them you are genuinely rooting for their success.
Get’er Done Leaders Do Affirm Team Members Regularly
I’ve had professionals tell me they wonder if they’re doing a good job because their boss never says anything affirming about their performance. And that makes me sad. Because I know they are professionals that care about what they do and work hard to do it well.
So be the Get’er done leader you want to work for and tell them. Catch them doing something right and let them know you appreciate it.
It takes very
little effort on your part to affirm your team members. It has a more powerful
affect than you know. And the effects are amazing.
But don’t be vague.
Just, “Hey, you’re doing a good job.” Be specific. “I really liked the
professional manner you demonstrated in handling that customer.” “Your
attention to detail with this account is incredible.”
When you’re
specific, it tells team members that you notice.
Get’er Done Leaders Do Clear A Path For Their Team Members
As a Get’er done leader you possess more knowledge and a better understanding of the organization. You see the big picture. And you can often access resources your team members can’t. Or at least more easily than they can.
So if you want them to succeed, learn where they are struggling and remove obstacles so they can move forward.
For example. I had a team member overseeing a children’s program at church. And she needed to recruit volunteer workers. But she was new and didn’t know that many people to ask. And even when she did, she lacked influence and struggled in her recruiting effort.
Since I had been around much longer, knew more people and had accumulated a degree of influence, I stepped in to personally recruit workers for her.
As a result, she took it from there and conducted a very successful program. Another team win!
Get’er Done Leaders Do Celebrate Team Wins
People like working on winning teams in a family-like environment. And success breeds success. So it’s important to celebrate team wins. The more you celebrate, the more the wins will stack up and you’ll build a winning culture that trickles down to every level of the team!
Also, it’s important for you, the Get’er done leader, to set this agenda. And to be equitable in your relationship with team members. In order to celebrate each team member, both individually and collectively.
So focus on building a team culture of mutual support. Where no one is a prima donna, but everyone has each other’s back. That’s when you build synergy. When average people produce extraordinary results. And you accomplish things together that are greater than what you accomplish individually.
Get’er done teams do things and Get’er done leaders support their efforts. And when everyone does their part and the team works together it’s a win for the team and the organization.
The healing healing power of active listening is something I learned from watching my Mom who was an active listening expert. She didn’t psychologically analyze, offer Dr. Phil advice, and only sparingly quoted scripture references.
She mostly, simply listened. Non-judgmentally. But in a focused manner that was all in on what you were saying.
From Mom I learned that active listening…
Makes people feel valued
Provides a release valve for bottled up emotions
Is a pathway for working through problems simply by talking it through with someone who listens.
And Mom had no college education. No formal training, certifications or listening accolades. But one by one, she provided healing through a listening ear. Something anyone can do. Here’s how.
The healing power of active listening. It begins by giving undivided attention.
Sounds obvious, but do you?
Or are you really
just waiting for the other person to stop talking so you can start?
And while they’re talking, you’re formulating thoughts on what you plan to say. Considering solutions to their problem. Drawing from the depths of profound wisdom. Or perhaps just mentally pausing to casually observe what’s going on around you.
Listening Means…well, listening.
I know. It’s harder
than you think. Active listening takes discipline because your mind processes
information much quicker than someone speaks. So it’s way ahead of the
conversation. Waiting for their mouth to catch up. Plenty of time for it to
wander off.
Consider lunch.
Calculate stock trades. Cogitate the deeper meanings of life.
Of course, you have to be intentional. Pause your thoughts. Bridle your brain. Focus, grasshopper. Or you’ll wander away from active listening to mind meandering along various thought trails of inattentiveness.
So when actively listening, make eye contact with the other person. Lean in. Perhaps even jot notes on a pad of paper. You’ll hear, understand and comprehend more effectively.
The healing power of active listening. It makes hearing and understanding the priority.
When listening to someone share a problem, a first inclination is to solve the problem. Provide wise counsel and guidance. Even when the other person may only want to be heard and feel empathetic understanding.
But it’s an immediate, active listening disconnect. You wanting to solve. Them wanting to be heard. The conversation is unsatisfying for both of you.
Therefore, avoid this by asking clarifying questions and summarizing what the other person says. This lets them talk through the problem. See it from different angles. Maybe even consider a different perspective.
And it keeps you on track. To say, “Yes, I am actively listening and understanding you.”
But keep in mind that people may struggle to articulate their thoughts. Especially in the midst of emotional drama. They may use words that don’t accurately describe what they really mean. Or different from how you define them.
Also, when you summarize what they just said in your own words and they agree with you, it improves the level of mutual understanding.
The healing power of active listening. It’s empathetic and shares stories.
We all want to feel understood and like others share our pain. That’s what active listening communicates to another person.
And why it’s so powerful…so healing. It assures people what they’re going through is a shared human experience. That you are there for support.
So it’s helpful to share similar life experiences with some level of vulnerability. Confess your own mistakes or doubts. How you’ve navigated them. Come out on the other side. And lessons learned.
Although your primary mission is to actively listen. So sharing specific details is unnecessary. But be authentic and express your humanity.
In other words, here’s my experience…my takeaway…my adjustment. Assure the other person you are a work in progress. A member of the human family and fellow life traveler. But maybe there’s something from your journey that can help them on theirs.
Active Listening Is Enhanced By Spiritual Engagement
As a follower of Jesus Christ, I can invite God’s presence into an active listening encounter through prayer. And He often brings spiritual discernment, relevant scripture and stories to mind in a way that amazes me. Even better, He offers hope.
As a result, active listening lets me participate in healing the soul. But prayer engages the God who heals the eternal, human spirit. For He is the ultimate, caring listener. And the final ANSWER to every problem.
About Chip Tudor:
Chip Tudor is an author, blogger and professional writer. He publishes books, humorous Christian drama, and thought provoking blogs from a Christian worldview.This blog is originally published here.
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