Under authority

“But Daniel resolved not to defile himself…,” Daniel 1:8. Why was Daniel able to be so resolute? Another example of resolve was displayed by Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in Daniel 3:18. “But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” How were they able to be so decisive in advance? Daniel 2:14b says that Daniel displayed wisdom (seeing a matter from God’s perspective) and used tact (consideration in dealing with others and avoiding giving offence) in his interactions.

Proverbs 15:1 says that, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Surely, our four friends wanted to be effective in their communication. We all want an effective result, but they were wired to obtain it using the virtue of tact.

How can we develop tact? Gifford Pinchot says we “Learn tact simply by being absolutely honest and sincere, and by learning to recognize the point of view of the other man and meet him with arguments he will understand.”

Share this suggestion with the class and ask them to comment on it. Ask them to share how they learned to use tact. One answer is to train our selves to use good manners. “Yes sir.” “No Mam.” To place one’s self under authority is another way. I’ve never met anyone that is truly tactful that is not also under authority.