“Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.” I Timothy 5:1-2
I read this the other day in my devotions and it struck me how much this resonates with Adult Degree Completion and working with staff, students, and faculty. This resonates with the ramifications of being created in the image of God and of understanding that everything can be reduced to relationships. Our interactions with our all our constituencies, when we follow this guide, reflects our love for God and appreciation for his grace and mercy toward us.
But I also know from personal experience and failure, that it isn’t always easy to do this. When I’m are tired, or feeling unappreciated, or dealing with a myriad of heavy issues I sometimes forget to think about the person I’m talking to in favor of the task; to be oblivious to feelings in favor of MY agenda.
Probably no one is perfect in this regard, but I believe God is honored when we make the effort to follow Paul’s admonition to Timothy. Hopefully we’ll all have this cross our minds throughout this season.
