Feb 22, 2018
by Katy Bofinger
Can I be really honest with you? I have a paralyzing fear of making calls using the telephone. It’s ridiculous, but I worry about interrupting people, or catching them at a bad time. Without body language to interpret, I fear that I may misunderstand them or misrepresent myself. As I sit and type this, I realize the silliness of this fear. For YEARS my parents and my husband have tried to convince me to get over it. My family has tried to explain that if someone was inconvenienced by the call, he wouldn’t answer. In my head I know all of that is true, and I normally consider myself to be a very rational person. But when I go to dial, my blood pressure increases and I have to coax myself to actually do it.
I actually consider myself a pretty good communicator (besides the part where I fear dialing the phone and someone actually answering). I’ve been teaching for 10 years, talking daily with hundreds of students. I truly enjoy public speaking! In my current job as a P.E. teacher I talk with students, classroom teachers, parents, the administration team, our secretaries, business office personnel, maintenance staff, and on and on. As an Athletic Director,
I communicate with even more people — other AD’s, the people who mow and line the fields, officials, coaches, t-shirt companies, newspaper reporters, bus drivers…it’s never ending!
While I prefer email or text, I will go out of my way to talk to someone in person if I can. I will make calls from my office phone if I need to, but usually as a last resort. I have adapted the way I do my job to accommodate my hatred of using the phone.
I am glad that Jesus didn’t have fears about communicating — that He didn’t worry about missing body language cues. He spoke with authority and people listened. He was the perfect communicator. When Jesus was leading and teaching His disciples, He spoke to them with stories and words they would understand. He spoke to crowds, to individuals, to those who hated Him, and to those who loved Him. When we communicate with others, do we (do I?) model our communication after Christ? Furthermore, are we changing our behavior based on fear?
When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise — in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? — Psalm 56: 3-4
