Every month a handful of frustrated people email me with questions about how to handle "difficult" people in their Sunday School class or bible study group.
They often say something like "How do I fix them so they stop doing ____ ?"
(The truth is that more teachers and leaders have quit because of these situations than anything else. It wears them out!)
Well, the answer isn't about "fixing" them, because that's God's work. Any time you try to do what only God can do, you WILL be frustrated.
The answer is about loving them. And we acknowledge that they're tougher to love than some other people :-). "We love, because Christ loved us first."
But...
there are are some strategies that help.
I will make an audio lesson available on Tuesday, March 13th, that is packed with useful information.
I'll lay out the 3 primary root causes of all these behaviors that frustrate teachers (and everyone else in the class or study group). Once you understand these it is much easier to address the real issues in a loving way that leads to spiritual growth and increasing maturity -- for you, too!
Watch this space for the announcement of when the audio lesson is available. There will be a special bonus available with it for only a short time.
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2 comments:
Hi Glenn ...must add a small comment, because as this thought goes...your looking for change in the wrong direction.
I believe what you should be doing...is asking God for His strength to handle these situations as they come up...but ask Him to change how you respond, and ask Him to change you.
We as teachers can make all kinds of suggestions and comments ...but the bottum line is...You must perceive the need for self change, understanding and know that God will handle it. He always does.
Glenn...Keep up the good work!
Ron
Ron, I suspect we're pretty close in alignment. Changing people is what God does. There are some practical suggestions about what we can do (and not do) in response to these situations that gives people room to grow. See my post on 4 responses that don't help, below.
In one important sense, there are only two kinds of teachers:
1. Those helping others hear God's voice, and obey it, and therefore giving them encouragment and direction towards Christ-likeness in this discipleship adventure
and
2. Those who aren't
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