Mid-Week Inspiration: Wednesday, January 26, 2022

Someone once said, “Speak when you are angry, and you will make the best speech you will ever regret.” 

Before you say something you regret, examine your motives. Then, going into the conversation, ask yourself what you want out of the situation? 

The bible says, “For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12: 37). 

The words you speak will bring value or destruction to your relationship. If you want the relationship to be healthy, pay attention to your words. 

Before you enter into a difficult conversation, a good practice is to clarify what you want, clarify what you really don’t want, and speak only the words that move the relationship in a positive direction. 

A healthy conversation will move any relationship beyond winning and losing.

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Something I Found Interesting…………

Youtube video on the history of Healthcare in Gainesville and Northeast Georgia. If you are from Gainesville, Georgia, you will see some familiar faces and recognize the narrator.

Click Here to Watch

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A Helpful Resource

Gainesville First United Methodist Church

Gainesville, Georgia

Tuesdays, February 1 - March 15 / 3 - 4 pm / Lakeside Conference Room and Zoom

Though every experience of grief is unique, there is no need to walk the journey alone. By joining with others who have lost a loved one to share experiences and learn about grief, we can find hope and begin to move towards reconciliation. Attendance can be in person or via Zoom. Registration is not required but appreciated. $25 covers the cost of materials. Contact Rev. Carolyn Clifton for more information or to register at 770-536-2341 or cclifton@gfumc.com.

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Blog Recommendation

I am a fan of Seth Godin’s leadership/marketing blog. Click here to check it out.

He recently shared this:

People make choices about their preferences for control and for taking responsibility. When we combine those choices, we end up with a simple matrix.

In the top right is an ideal combination. Someone with control and authority who also takes responsibility when things go wrong. This creates a useful feedback loop, because they can actually do something about the problems they caused.

In the bottom right is a disaster waiting to happen. This is brittle megalomaniac, Robert Moses, the builder, who spent nearly a century paving New York while neglecting housing and other social justice issues, but never took responsibility for any of the effects of his work. People who grab control and avoid responsibility are often easily identified because they spend a lot of time whining.

In the top left corner is someone who truly cares. They bring huge empathy to the situation, and they help people feel seen. Alas, because they don’t have power (either because it’s been denied to them or because they avoid it), their willingness to take responsibility is sort of hollow. This is one reason that frontline workers that are required to exert emotional labor and empathy on the job so often burn out.

And finally, in most situations, most people are in the bottom left. The system pushes us to be cogs, to accept what’s given in exchange for being let off the hook and not being held responsible for what happens next.

In many situations, we have the freedom to choose. We can choose a quadrant or we can choose not to participate. And if we’re lucky or care enough, we can choose who to vote for, who to work for and where we’re headed.

Seth Godin

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