Say What?!

Have you ever tried to have a conversation with kids around? Just as you are in the middle of the sentence explaining this intense conversation at work you hear:

"Mom, I'm hungry!" or "Dad, can I watch sumthin?"

Typically you have to pause and wait for the situation to be resolved and then try to start in again, and just as you are getting into your conversation a child will pop right in. Children have a great knack for disrupting communication, but we all have many other things in our lives that can disrupt our communication.

I like to think of communication as the currency of relationships. Without it there is really no way to build and invest in the relationship. Whether it is the words you speak to someone, a message you send, or just a look or embrace, all these forms of communication can build a relationship. We can take some steps to minimize distractions, even if we can't control kids popping into our conversations. This is something that Paul addressed to his young pastor friend in the letter he wrote to Timothy.

"Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters" 1 Timothy 5:1-2

I see a few things in this scripture that Paul points to that we can do to use our communication to build others up and eliminate hinderances.

1. Select your audience

We all have a variety of people in our lives; those older, those that are peers, and those that are younger. Paul lays out how each group is to be addressed in a different manner. When we approach those that are older the approach of exhortation is the best route. When we offer a perspective to those that are more seasoned in life, they will tend to grab onto it because of their years f experience. While those that are younger may require a more direct approach.

2. Set your tone

Our tone is the package that our words are received in. No matter if we are offering a perspective or approaching things directly every person deserves to receive respect and honor. What we have to say is not more important than the way we say them, and unfortunately this has been a lesson that I have had to learn the hard way.

3. Seek to build up

Our whole aim in communication is to express the love of God to the other person. Sometimes we have to deal with challenging issues but when we seek love above all else it will result in the betterment of the other person. A way to position ourselves to build others up is to take the approach of coming alongside them as an equal not from a position of speaking down to them.

When we remove hinderances from our communication we will grow the relationships around us.