5 ways to communicate with love
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Recently I attended a webinar, and the speaker encouraged us to communicate with the fruit of the Spirit. The very first fruit of the Spirit Paul mentions is love.
As I was looking for examples of people who communicate with love, it dawned on me that Paul's example is hard to beat. While his letters contain profound theological teaching, Paul himself tells us in 1 Corinthians 13:1 that if he did not express these teachings with love, he would be nothing more than a clanging cymbal.
As I read his letters, I gleaned the following five principles for communicating with love:
- Before sending an email, making a phone call, sending a text or going into a meeting, take a moment to pray with thanksgiving to God for the person or people you will be communicating with. It is amazing how God changes our perspective about people when we pause to pray with thanksgiving for them. Paul's prayers are motivated by his faith in the power of Jesus to transform his readers.
- Passionately communicate with hope: encouraging, instructing, and admonishing people to a life lived with the highest ethical and professional standards, in order to accomplish the goals of the company, department or team. Paul passionately communicated so that his readers would enter into and grow in a right relationship with God.
- Enter into the story of the people you are communicating with. When you enter into a person's story, your communication shifts from a series of transactions into a relationship. Communicate in such a way that Christ's love flows through your presence, your emails, your phone calls, your presentations, and your social media posts. God can use you to transform their story. Paul loved the people he wrote to, so he took the time to enter into their story. This enabled Christ to work through Paul's presence and his writing to change the story of these people.
- Continue to be a student of communication techniques and tools. Instead of defaulting to communication styles that have worked in the past, take the time to learn how best to use new tools like Zoom or Microsoft Teams, out of love for the people you are communicating with.
- Strategically vary your communication style depending on whether you are responding to a question, encouraging someone, expressing thanks, affirming common beliefs, gaining support for your position, defending your authority, or persuading your audience.
These five points barely scratch the surface of how Paul communicates with love. I invite you to take the time to read through his letters yourself!
 | James Bruyn is a bi-vocational visionary leader, writer and speaker who enjoys helping individuals integrate their faith in God with their daily life. He leads a ministry to Christians in the marketplace in Calgary, provides leadership coaching, and consults for the rail industry. He writes a weekly devotional and also has a devotional book, 31 Days with God at Work (Marketplace 2018). Learn More » |
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