Faith Lab: wallflowers

You know at the school dance the people that lean up against the wall with no one to dance with.  That was me, but I like to think of my leaning as a safeguard against the walls falling down.  I was a wallflower.  I don’t dance, and I was perfectly content just taking in the scene.  I didn’t feel like I needed to be on the dance floor and I didn’t long for the courage to ask a girl to slow dance.  I was content just watching the interactions of my classmates (perhaps my love of sociology as well).

I love people watching.  I was having coffee with a student in our ministry the other week and just stopped talking because I was wrapped up in watching a couple trying to decide if they were going to come in for a bite to eat or go somewhere else.  While people watching is fun, expert watching is way better and more productive.  Today Katie and I took our daughter Eden to the dentist.  Eden has already has some extensive dental work done and I was nervous for her, and for our wallet. There was a little spot on a front tooth that Dr. Kim wanted to fix or “put a Band-Aid on” as he put it.  So as Eden was in his chair he showed her how he was going to polish, “shampoo” and “paint” her tooth.  This is a guy who loves his job and all of the love, care and experience he had amounted throughout his practice is now being lived out by teaching and setting at ease my little girl. 

I sat and watched in awe! He was amazing.  When we watch excellent people do what they do we can learn so much.  Weather it be watching  doctor, teacher, even a great Chick-fil-a manager at work it is a great thing.  I would encourage you to go become a wallflower and become an “expert watcher”.  Take a notebook and write down some of the things that strike you as improving the experience or interaction.  It might be the smallest thing, but it can make a huge difference.  After writing some of the things down think about how you might be able to incorporate them into your ministry or leadership style.  What would work in your setting, what wouldn’t, what could you tweak to make an exponential impact? 

One of the things that I learned today is that taking a little bit more time to explain what is going on will not only save time in the long run, but it makes the experience so much more positive.  Eden was all smiles when we were done.  Thanks Dr. Kim for taking care of my girl and teaching me too.