Presented by Lauren Stibgen
Communication, both clear and unclear has the power to bring peace and anxiety to your workplace. After all the Word tells us that: The tongue has the power of life and death (Proverbs 18:21).
The weight of this verse alone should remind us how important words can be. Are communications in your office anxiety-laden or peace-giving?
Gossip is one of the most common anxiety-causing forms of communication in the workplace. Consider these Proverbs:
A perverse person stirs up conflict, a gossip separates close friends (16:28).
Without wood a fire goes out; without a gossip a quarrel dies down. (26:20).
Is there someone among you who seems to stir up conflict or perpetuates rumors? This surely creates anxiety at work. The Bible tells us simply not to do it. If you are in a position to address others who are gossiping, you should. I always suggest asking questions. For example, Do you know if that is true? How? Have you talked with so and so about this directly?
Ephesians 4:29 tells us: Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
Can you leave people around you feeling built up?
At times, gossip is an outcome of unclear or ambiguous communication. Have you ever been in a situation where people knew something was happening, but they didn’t know what? If you have worked in a privileged leadership role, you may be aware of organizational changes before others. When asked, you are caught in the balance of holding the organizational confidence or needing to leave out pieces of communication.
Think of the disciples. Jesus spoke on numerous occasions about his death in the form of parables before clearly telling them what was happening (Matthew 21:33-36, John 12:24). They were stunned when he clearly talked about his suffering, death and resurrection (Matthew 16:21-23).
Communicating as clearly as you can, when you are able, can help create a more peaceful work environment. Sometimes, if you have been stuck with piece mail communications, a sincere, “I am sorry I could not be clear before” can help ease tensions.
Are you a peace-making communicator or anxiety-creator? Pray for God to help you bring more peace today!