I once read a book by John Mawell, "Failing Forward." I can say that when reading at the time, my head had not experienced the womb of failure yet. I was new to favorable outcomes (success) from day to day, which is vital as Mike Murdock says, "if you can't have a successful day, then you can't have a successful life." So, at a recent leaders meeting, I was awaited by a common friend of failure...The Lack of Communication. It is amazing how we pastors can say one thing and be interpreted as another. As we well know, no two people know the same thing alike. So the only common thread that can hold the fabric of a society or community together is communication.
Just because we communicate a mission or vision to people does not grant success. Most of the time people hear us but are not listening to us unless they are hearing and obeying. God would often say, " hear and obey" throughout the Bible. I believe both are inseparable and should be forced to be married without a prenup. When we hear and then respond to what's heard, chances are we are listening. However, the biggest player on the field here is the communicator. (That would be us)
We can end it saying this, that when we communicate to others, we need to understand what we are saying ourselves. This type of understanding can only come first hand. Second, we need to emphasize with empathy. Jesus with many other prophets was great speakers because their audience would perhaps "feel" what was being said. Without empathy, it seems as if we don't care what we are saying or about who we are speaking to. Most importantly, I believe our speech must be "eternal." Much of what we say should lead down the path of permanency. We will know much of our success by asking the question, "How long did I say go?"
