In High Demand

I’ve been on LinkedIn for years. I guess I just like being connected. Though I don’t post anything there, I try to pay attention to trends.

So, just to be honest, I had to look up “blockchain” this morning. Since I’m being honest, I kind of get it – and I kind of don’t. Whew. Hopefully, this isn’t the feeling one gets when the world is passing them by! Anyway, blockchain is a hard skill that’s in high demand for 2020. Since I wasn’t even sure about my spelling of “cryptocurrency,” I don’t qualify. Obviously. I’m also “out” in the categories of cloud computing and AI. ‘Nuff said about all that. I’m feeling irrelevant. And some days it feels like irrelevance on steroids.

But what caught my eye also was 2020’s list of hottest soft skills. You interested?

Creativity.

Persuasion.

Collaboration.

Adaptability.

Emotional intelligence.

In that order.

So that’s when it hit me: Christ-followers ought to be good at all of these!

Our Father is the Creator of everything (John 1:3), and we’re made in His image (Genesis 1:27). Our gospel message is the very power of God (Romans 1:16). We’re called to “consider others better than ourselves” (Philippians 2:3). We are servants of all (First Corinthians 9:19). Can’t get more “adaptable” than that.

And please don’t write off that last one: emotional intelligence. Harvard Business Review reports that more than 3000 scientific articles have been written on emotional intelligence. We won’t even try to count the books. This one matters, friends. Our EQ matters. I won’t tell you what “EQ” means so that – if you don’t know – you’ll do some needed homework on the subject. Let’s just say: we are all thinkers and feelers.

It goes back to that whole image-of-God thing. My fellow pastors and I are still studying Peter Scazzero, who words it like this: “We are intellectual, social and emotional creatures just as God is.” Scazzero also says that most Christians are emotionally stuck. That can’t be good.

When we don’t grow up emotionally, we create distance between ourselves and others. We inflict pain on others, even those we love. We overlook our own sinful and selfish behavior under the pseudo-biblical guise of: “I don’t care about feelings, only facts.” Jesus said no such thing. But, when the gospel of Jesus has its way in us, everything changes. “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39). Now it’s making some sense.

One more Scazzero quote, free of charge: “We have the Holy Spirit and God has already wired us for growth and change.” Let’s make this the year when we learn to love as we’ve been loved.

You’re in high demand for 2020! So shine, y’all!

Pastor Charles