The Church is Ahead of the Curve

I had an interesting experience yesterday while at an all day training for my new job. It was sort of an Orientation/Training, and so a lot of what we talked about was very global and general - you know, basic ideas about what Behavioral Health is, and some of the more basic ideas, guidelines, responsibilities, etc. During these presentations there were a few times (two in specific that I want to talk about), that surprised me.

The first was toward the beginning, where the instructor was just talking in general about what behavioral health is, and she read a quote from someone...she could have quoted Jesus. The quote basically said how the greatest fulfillment in life is found in serving others. She paused to let it sink in. Then she repeated it. You could hear people all over the room sigh as the truth of it hit them. In my mind, I'm thinking, "Yeah, this is basic. I've known this for a long time." It's not that the truth of it is unimportant or boring to me - on the contrary, it is the cornerstone of my whole life! What was shocking to me was to realize that this was a novel concept to so many. Here, it was spoken slowly, and emphasized so that the full profundity of it could be recognized. I thought about how in church it is part of our DNA. We don't so much emphasize it as we speak of it in terms of something so fundamental, so completely grasped that we don't need to further explain it...It was interesting to see how far the church was ahead of the curve here.

The second thing was basically the last thing that was said before we were dismissed. Again, it was a statement intended for impact. This time, the truth of the statement elicited a "Here, here," from someone in the audience. We had been talking for the past hour or so about different service models, Motivational Interviewing, and Reflective Listening, and stuff like that, and how these various models can assist in our interactions with clients. Basically the last thing this instructor said was that we should remember that above all these models, the thing that will bring the most healing and wellness to our clients is the relationship we form with them. (This is what elicited the "here, here"). Again, the church was ahead of the curve on this one. We've been talking about this and practicing this for years in the church. It was just cool to see how God's design, God's way, the truth of scripture is universal. Whether they realize it or not, this secular organization is embracing Biblical principles in their attempt to serve...cool.