People Spots
Online
Produced by James W.
Moss, Sr., and Church Consultants
Provided as a service by New Life Ministries
Understanding Common Sense
by James W. Moss, Sr.A leader understands and uses common sense. Webster says common sense is "the ability to render sound judgments on everyday affairs of life." Frequently, a person of average intelligence has a great grasp on common sense and functions very well in life and accomplishes a great deal. Have you ever heard someone say, "That person is extremely intelligent but he has no common sense." The comment implies the extremely bright person will have some trouble adjusting to the realities of life.
The following are some observations regarding dominant characteristics of persons both inside and outside the church who have a good grasp on common sense.
Common sense dictates and appreciates the beauty of simplicity. The more complicated a strategy becomes, the less likely it is to be achieved. A project with ten steps has more opportunities for fatal flaws than one with five. A football team that begins a touchdown drive on its own 10 yard line has a higher risk of failure than the one that begins its touchdown drive on the opponents 30 yard line. That is why field position is so important in football.
Common sense dictates and appreciates the journey from its beginning. Are we where we need to be? The answer is inevitably "No!" But we need to understand the length of the journey and how far we have progressed towards our destination. I like to take a map and mark my beginning point and my destination. Then as I journey on the trip, I mark the map to indicate my progress. After a while, the destination may still seem a long way off, but I have to remember how far I have traveled. Then the destination doesn’t seem so far away. As I think of the journey over the past 25 years in the conference for which I work, I can get depressed when I think of how far we have yet to go. But I feel much better if I remember the point of departure and how far we have come in this journey. Then I realize the destination is not so far off.
Common sense thrives on the basics. Remember the three R’s: reading, ’riting, and ’rithmetic. These subjects are critical to education. A student is in trouble if she can’t handle these simple basic subjects. Behavior problems are frequently just an indication the student can’t handle the basics. Stick to the basics in life. Avoid being taken down side paths that divert your attention from the basic issues of life. Worship, service, evangelism, incorporation, and teaching are the basics. Stay focused on the important issues.
Common sense realizes that little successes lead to bigger ones. Have you ever heard someone described as an "instant success"? Then you talk with that person and discover he worked hard for 15 years to lay the groundwork for that instant success. Roger Kahn wrote a book called "The Boys of Summer." It was a story of the Brooklyn Dodgers in the early 50’s. George Shuba had been described as a natural hitter. He said, "I wasn’t a natural. I swung a bat 500 times a day from the time one season ended until the next began." I remember visiting a church on the dedication of a new building. It represented a big success. Many people commented on the victory. They failed to understand that the "big success" was the culmination of 10 years of little successes. Without those little successes the big one would have never happened. Encourage the little victories. They make the big ones possible.
Common sense understands that some will envy your successes. Professional jealousy is not an idle term. It ought not to be in the Christian church. We should be able to celebrate the successes of our brothers and sisters in his cause. I always strive to praise God for the success of a pastor or church. That is true whether I have had any influence or not. That is true whether they use a style I appreciate or not. That is true whether they have done better than I or not. I praise God for their successes because God is glorified. However, if your ministry begins to blossom, some will resent your blessings and progress.
Common sense insists that you know the rules of the game. There is, of course, Christian ethics, and then there are certain rules in every organization. A Christian must stay within the bounds of Christian ethics. Sometimes the pragmatic rules are contained in the constitution, and sometimes they are unwritten but just as real, nonetheless. If the rules are bad, then work at rewriting them. To work outside the rule box will cause some real resistance even to good and worthy projects.
Common sense comprehends that not all changes are progress. At the same time all progress involves and incorporates change. Common sense understands the difference and how this can impact our lives.
Common sense appreciates the value of experience. Ben Franklin said, "We can’t learn everything from experience." We have to learn from the experiences of others. What has worked and not worked for others should give us insight to our own behavior. Why should we repeat the failures of others? Why shouldn’t we learn from the successes of others? Trust the wisdom of those placed around you. Pastors, allow your elders to provide a screen for you as to what will or will not work for your people. If you can’t convince your elders, you will have trouble convincing the church.
Will Rogers said, "If you want to be successful, know what you are doing, love what you are doing, and believe in what you are doing."
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October 5, 2001. Volume 4, Issue 11. People Spots Online is prepared by James W. Moss, Sr., and Church Consultants. It is provided as a service by New Life Ministries, www.NewLifeMinistries-NLM.org. Articles may be duplicated and reproduced in any way with proper credit. A new article is produced about every two weeks. To be added to a list to receive these messages directly by e-mail, send a request to churchconsultants@yahoo.com.