A Gift Called Feedback

In this blog, I wanted to share a beautiful tool that has been given to me to steward to others! It’s called Feedback!! Do I have any Brene Brown fans in the crowd? 

How many of you have heard of the term “Feedback” and know what it is? 

Hopefully some of you have but, if you haven’t, I’ll explain!

Feedback is an opportunity to help a neighbor, see the potential blind spots in their lives or actions. These blind spots can harbor hard things or really incredible things, like the Fruit of the Spirit! The point of feedback is to help each other grow and become more self aware of the things that could potentially harm ourselves or others. It’s also used to edify the growth points that we can see in each other by recognizing the way that God has been working in our lives and changing us! Now, this might seem like a scary concept and in some ways it is; I mean, when you give someone permission to give you feedback, you are also giving them permission to see parts of you that people wouldn’t typically be aware of. Allowing people to speak into the hard and holy parts of your character is exposing, vulnerable. 

I know what you’re thinking, “Marissa, this is wack!! What if someone doesn’t like me and they give me feedback out of spite?” or “Yo, what if someone is just gassing me up because they don’t know what else to say to me?”

I am so glad that you asked those questions, because I was just about to get into ittttt!! Feedback should ALWAYS be prayed into! Yes, as a community we see things in each other and its hard to appreciate the differences in the way we communicate, lead or speak to one another; BUT God knows the heart of the people you are calling higher, therefore, feedback should always be taken to Him BEFORE giving and AFTER receiving it! This is a great way to protect the hearts of the people around us!

Feedback is a relished tool in the World Race community. We are encouraged to have eyes and hearts for the people around us, thus, our goal is to pay attention to one another by noticing the things that do or do not make us more like Christ. Ultimately, we want to make sure that we are men and women who are living out Holy Spirit and representing what the Kingdom of God looks like. Feedback is a beautiful way to edify and build Kingdom, it keeps us honest with one another and leads us into humility. 

Giving and Receiving Feedback can be really nerve racking for some people, so I am here to alleviate those nerves by giving you a clear picture of the role it has played in my life. Before that, I will layout what this process looks like! 

Feedback is always given in a constructive or affirming posture. In order to deliver it well, it should be given in the order of:

Observation 

Example

Suggestion

!!Pro-Tip!! Coupling feedback with scripture is a beautiful way to set the standard, especially in the Kingdom, since we ourselves are not the standard, Christ is! 

I am going to show you some of the feedback that I have received from one of my current Racer’s, Olivia Mathley.

Olivia really took the time to see me that week. She purposely looked for a way that I could grow and be affirmed. Feedback opened the door for me to trust Olivia with my heart and accountability in my character. Ultimately, I know that Olivia’s heart for me is to be the woman of God that she believes I can be. 

I hope this challenges you to be bold and loving in your inner circle by challenging people to live up to the standard of Jesus Christ. I wanted to impart something that I have learned and lived out, almost daily, for the last three years. I believe that it is an invaluable resource to share with people who desire to live a Kingdom driven life. 

I hope this is fruitful for you, I would love to hear if you use this! 

Yours in Christ,

Marissa!