Sensitivity, and why I try to care more about it

I made someone cry today.

I don't know this person very well. However, I make decisions that impact their daily life. I have to sit in judgment on how this person acts at work and does their tasks at work. It's part of my job. I also am not going to sit and just tell someone my opinion without trying to at least back it up with proof. Sometimes, that can be difficult.

I've been reading a bible study guide called "True Woman 101" by Mary Kassian and Nancy Leigh DeMoss. We are making a youth bible study out of it. And guess who's leading it up? First of all, you should question the sanity of a church that allows material called "True Woman" to be taught by a faux-Indian-divorced-single-mom that goes to DragonCon. What is that about, anyway?

You would think, after all the studying I've been doing on women lately, that I would understand by now that my womanhood has special meaning in the eyes of the Lord. The guide talks about how the unique characteristics inherent in manhood and womanhood can glorify God when brought together. Yes yes yes! We are equally and wonderfully created in the eyes of the Lord. We come from the dust of the earth, and we are made in His image. This truth is easily forgettable in light of, well,  just waking up in the morning. Just breathing. We're weak clay vessels.

When I go to work and have 10,000 things to do, I forget this. I remember that I have authority. I remember that I can tell people what to do. I think that it's okay for me to say, "this is in the top five worst list and here's why." Yes, I did say something like that today.

If you've never had anyone cry in front of you while you tried to be constructive, be glad. It's humbling to know your words can have such an impact. It's scary to think that you might ruin someone's day. It's also important that your words are heard, because you might actually have something to say. What I tried to keep in mind was, "this person is fearfully and wonderfully made." I prayed before this meeting. I don't know if it helped. I have to trust that it did.