Edification: Positively promoting the growth and development of another. Romans 14:19
If you are employed, how is your boss? Do you like her/him? Does your boss ever talk with you? Does your boss lead by a good example or is he/she well…bossy? What if you are a boss? How do you think your employees would answer these questions?
I have personally known/had some very wonderful bosses and well..some not so wonderful. I will use these bosses as an example so that we might get a clearer understanding of what it means to edify one another.
The bosses in my life, the ones that led well, all have one trait in common, they genuinely liked those that worked for them. These bosses treated their employees with respect, honesty and grace.
One boss that I had was a wonderful leader. She rarely asked us to do more than what we were hired to do, unless she was willing to roll up her sleeves and do it as well. That spoke volumes to me and made me respect her more.
Another boss is actually a wonderful friend of mine. He leads by example, he is honest and he speaks the truth. That has allowed me to be confident in my job knowing he will speak up if my job needs a little guidance. The plus, I know I will never be ridiculed or put down but led with kindness and direction.
One of my first bosses was the bossy type. It seemed I could never do anything right, and he would often criticize me and embarrass me in front of others. As a young person, this often sent me home in tears. Needless to say I did not stay at that job very long.
One last example of a boss is someone I love dearly, he happens to be my hubby. I am not saying he is MY boss, but he is a boss. I hear him on the phone with his employees. He tells me stories of how one of his guys in the office asked to speak to him, not about work but about his personal life. My husband speaks truth into these men, sometimes hard truths, but his men respect him for it. They know he is trustworthy and that he cares for them and their families.
Can you see how edifying (building up others) can make a difference in another’s life? When someone edifies instead of criticizes, can you see the difference in the receivers actions and attitude? Think of how your relationship with your family/coworkers/friends would change if you practiced edifying more often.
Romans 14:19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.
Even when you have to have a “hard conversation“ it can be done in fulfillment and Ephesians 4:15: “speak the truth in love“.
- In the Gospel of John chapter 21, verse 17 Jesus confronted Peter after Peter’s denial. Notice how Jesus use this occasion not to tear Peter down for his failure but to build him up for his future ministry. Could you think about how Jesus left Peter in a better position and in a better condition for his future work? That’s much better than tearing Peter down because of his failure.
- How about choosing two or three people in your life as targets for edification. Whom would you choose, and how could you build them up, especially when they may think they deserve to be criticized or condemned?
- Consider starting a conversation with your friends inside your family or outside your family about how edification was accomplished in your home growing up. How were you built up? Were you torn down? How did the criticism or the edification you experienced prepare you for future relationships? Do those models still impact your actions and reactions to others in the present?