In corporate life I often hear the phrase, “don’t take this the wrong way, it’s not person, it’s business.” The questions always swirl; what in life is something other than personal? Is there anything that is valuable, special, or unique that is not personal?
My work partner and I are trying to change the direction of the business. We are doing everything we know and a bit more to try to help focus our team on the new direction and intent. At the moment we are sitting in Hertforshire, struggling to come to terms with just what this should, can and eventually will mean to each of us. Our values that keep coming to the surface include modeling what we talk about, holding people accountable, rewarding people who follow the new direction, and disciplining those who do not. We talk about priorities, disciplines, roles and responsibilities. I believe the people here believe in what they are talking about on some level. I wonder if they are taking the comments about the past personally, if not they should!
The relationship between family members is never totally casual. Husband and wife may neglect each others needs and wrap the state of relationship up in excuses, however, in the end it is always a personal statement of how much (little) one values the other. The same observation applies to parents and their children. Not having time for the kids, rarely spending time with them, ignoring their successes, failures, and struggles is a personal statement from one human being to another. Everything we do has a personal statement linked to the action.
In work and family it is too easy to keep score. They did something nice, plus one point. They hurt me, minus two points. The tally is keep, memorized as an aid in shaping the next interaction between us!
How does God see us? Does He use the same model? The facts say something totally different. “God doesn’t count us; he calls us by name. Arithmetic is not his focus.” (Romans 9.28) Our relationship with God is personal.
