Exposition:
Emotional Intelligence, also known as Emotional Quotient, is the ability to understand and manage your emotions and those of the people around you. Emotions are part of our daily lives; thus, in a day, we are either happy or sad about an incident. However, these emotions are fleeting; that is to say, you will not forever remain angry with your roommate for leaving your clothes on the drying lines while it rained. The anger wanes with time. Nevertheless, if emotions are not properly managed, they can have lasting effects on us as individuals as well as negatively affect our relationships with others.
Colossians 3:12-13 teaches us that, in our quest to become emotionally intelligent, we ought to be compassionate – be aware of the suffering of others and be willing to relieve it. Let us also be humble enough to acknowledge our weaknesses and take responsibility for our actions. If you offend someone, apologize – don’t ignore what you did. Be gentle and patient, for it improves your social skills, which enables you to relate well with others.
As a Christian leader, if you don’t manage your anger, and you lash out at your members for whatever reason, you may end up discouraging them instead of correcting their mistakes. Being able to bear with each other and being forgiving is a sign of emotional intelligence. As we have received grace to live self-controlled lives as children of God, we have to keep our emotions under check.