True life-transformation happens when we encounter the living Christ. We hear the Word of God and the Holy Spirit brings it alive in our hearts to convict and draw them to himself. We long for, pray for, and work for that in the lives of our students. And God uses us, the church, the body of Christ, in the transformation process, to connect with them and make Jesus known.

So, what is our part? How can we, as ATC staff members, help to create an atmosphere where students can let their guard down and be willing to listen; how can we cultivate a home where healing and transformation has a better chance of happening? In this series, we are considering a few thoughts for your reflection and application.

Respect

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou

Some staff members want to demand respect, “Students must respect me because of my position.” Sure, we all need to learn to respect authority; that is an important part of life. However, I, as a staff member, cannot think and act that way in our relationships with our students. We cannot make them respect us.
We must earn respect. Respect them first.

“We love because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:19 (NIV)

Read it again only replace the word “love” with “respect.” The students love because we first love them; they respect because we first respect them. The students ___________ because we first ___________ them. The Golden Rule – Matthew 7:12

We must first have an attitude and heart of true respect for them, even when they do not respect us. It must come from our heart.  How in the world do we do that? Don’t see them through their behavior and attitudes; see them a Jesus does. “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” Matthew 9:36 (NIV)

If we have the right heart and spirit, it becomes easier practical expressions of respect that we can show not only to our students but to our fellow staff members, our family, and others; how do you act respectful? Here are a few thoughts:

• Don’t roll your eyes
• Don’t be distracted (cell phone, computer, etc.)
• Don’t be curt
• Don’t react in anger
• Do be kind
• Do be polite
• Do lend a hand
• Do give focused attention

Use the discussion questions below with your team to discover and implement other practical ways to show respect.

Discuss – Evaluate – Execute

• When is a time you felt disrespected?
• What did the other person do that made you feel disrespected?
• How did you feel and want to react?
• What other actions cause people to feel disrespected?
• When is a time you felt respected?
• What did the other person do that made you feel respected?
• How did you feel and want to react?
• What other actions cause people to feel respected?
• What can help you have a respectful attitude and heart towards your students?
• What steps can you take with your students to decrease disrespect and increase respect?