Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Feel Free to Disagree

2 Samuel 12:1-12
cf 2 Sam 12:27-28; 14:1-20; 16:9; 18:3, 12, 19-23; 19:5-7, 24:3

One of the things that I really appreciate about David is that he surrounded himself with people who weren't afraid to disagree with him, to express dissent with his decisions. 2 Samuel 12:1-12 is the relatively famous example of Nathan confronting David about his sin with Bathsheba. Later in the chapter, Joab tells David to stop staying at home and come out to battle with the army (verses 27-28). Chapter 14 describes Joab's unique dissent regarding David's treatment of Absalom. The census, Joab's mourning Absalom, the list goes on and on. What do these stories say about work? I think sometimes we think that being Christian means that we can never disagree with anyone, and perhaps especially our supervisors. These stories demonstrate that dissenting at work, disagreeing with those in charge, is sometimes necessary. If there's a situation at work that you think needs to change, there's nothing wrong with speaking up about it. You may even have an obligation to do so if the problem is an ethical one. Be sure to use tact and humility though.

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