This weekend I read a book entitled, Bringing Out The Best In Others!  It was written by Thomas K. Connellan, Ph.D.  It focused on 5 different situations in particular but alluded to many other areas of life as well.
1. Business (specifically dealing with sales representatives)
2. Business (specifically dealing with production work)
3. Healthcare (specifically looking at departmental needs in a hospital)
4. Education (specifically dealing with teacher effectiveness)
5. Parenting (specifically dealing with motivating children)

It was an interesting and easy to read book.  A lot of what it mentioned seemed like common sense, but when looking at the details it became clear that some principles may appear to be easy to understand but a little more difficult to implement.  In our day-to-day interactions at home, school, work, or anywhere in the community, are we bringing out the best in others?  Do the words we use, the gestures we make, and our overall body language communicate what we are hoping to communicate?

Although the book never addressed the Church community in particular, I started to think about areas in which we as Church could improve upon our skills in bringing out the best in others.  Why is it that church congregations often struggle with the dynamics of human interaction as much as secular entities?  Why are the Gospel values and principles that we focus on each week not more effectively guiding our behavior towards one another?

There are probably a multitude of answers to that question, but I think this book reminded me that we always have room to improve upon our skills in how we interact with one another.  This doesn't just apply to the supervisor/employee relationship or the parent/child relationship.  It can apply to all of our relationships.  When someone interacts with us, do they walk away at the end of the exchange having been enriched because they encountered the living Christ through us and in us?  If we desire the highest and greatest good for others we want them to spend eternity with God in heaven.  Do our thoughts, words, and actions lead them in the right direction?  What is the message we consistently communicate to others?  What are some specific skills that I can work on to improve myself so that I can more effectively bring out the best in others?

"I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use."  ~Galileo Galilei

Reading this quote immediately sent a vast array of images into my mind. The more technology we develop, the more knowledge we gain, and the more gadgets we collect mean nothing if common sense and reason are not applied in our day-to-day lives.  Occasionally, it seems that all of these "advancements" are leading us further and further away from common sense.  For example, a cell phone can be a wonderful tool; texting while driving can prove to be fatal. We know this, and yet many choose to continue to do it anyway. That is just one example of hundreds that could be given.

"Science is organized knowledge. Wisdom is organized life."
~Immanuel Kant

It is essential that Christian believers continue to grow in the virtue of wisdom. Wisdom is a gift of the Holy Spirit, and I must join my sentiment to Galileo's that God has not obliged us to forgo its use. We are called to be models of virtue and beacons of light in a world that sometimes struggles to find its way in the darkness. If Christians aren't going to demonstrate the gift of wisdom, who will?

I could point to a multitude of social and moral issues where Christians need to be in the forefront of the discussion.  However, I will leave that piece to each individual reader. Where do you need to take a stand in your own life, in your church, in your community, or in your country to promote justice, peace, wisdom and common sense? If you have become disengaged from the happenings in your family, church, or community it is time to re-enter into the mix. Read one verse from the Gospel of John chapter 10 verse10 and answer the following question. How is God calling you to fullness of life?