day 962: Being Considerate

"We who are strong must be considerate of those who are sensitive..."

 In legal terms the word consideration means; "Something that suffices to make an informal promise legally binding, usually some value given in exchange for the promise." That is the usual context that we hear the word at work. To get something, something must be gained. But, that is not the only meaning of the word and not the only use of the word at work. Another definition of consideration is; "thoughtful or sympathetic regard or respect; thoughtfulness for others." So, I would ask that we consider (a whole other definition) adding true consideration into our work. I am reminded of the time that someone who worked for me, and who was a good friend at the the same time, was giving me feedback and he said to me, "You will get a lot more out of all of us every day if you will just stop and say 'good morning' and check in on us to see how we are doing". He was asking me to be more considerate of him and others on the team. It's not a hard skill to master if you are willing to take it on as an improvement area.

Being considerate of others is one of the more powerful actions that one can take. Paul says to us in Romans 15:1; "We who are strong must be considerate of those who are sensitive..." What I find most interesting about this verse is that Paul says that those who are strong are the ones who can be considerate. Yes, it is a trait and capability of the strong, not the weak, to be able to be considerate to others. As believers we must be strong in our faith and strong in our actions that support our faith in the eyes of others. I can't think of a better core value action that we can demonstrate daily on our job than the act of being considerate to others. Today is the first day of the Easter season and all around the world people are giving up something for Lent. Maybe today, we can give up being so in to ourselves and start practicing more consideration.

Reference: Romans 15:1 (New Living Testament)