95865

Dr. Chase

Comm 494

19 April 2023

Essay #3

I have learned to live a life surrendered to Jesus, through the obstacles I have faced in my

time as a student. And through these obstacles, I have learned how the role of communication

shapes my vocation of a surrendered life.

Sometimes we need to surrender in the dissonance we want to resolve as an opportunity

to trust Christ. In my Senior Seminar Liberal Arts essay, I said, “God provided in my distress

when I realized [as much as I wanted to make sense of things], I simply did not understand the

obstacles I was facing and needed to stop leaning on my own understanding. The feeling one has

when they cannot make sense of something is called Cognitive Dissonance. “[It] is an aversive

drive that causes people to avoid opposing viewpoints, seek reassurance after making a tough

decision, and change private beliefs to match public behavior when there is minimal justification

for an action”(Griffin).

Learning to live in the tension of relieving cognitive dissonance is difficult, but

communication theory textbook, A First Look of Communication, states that, “dissonance

reduction can be possible with self-consistency, a sense of personal responsibility, or

self-affirmation”(Griffin). As Christians we know there is no amount of self-consistency, a sense

of personal responsibility, or self-affirmation that can calm us quite like the peace of Christ when

we “cast our cares on Him” and surrender. We are called to be faithful to what God has in front

of us when things in our head feel in opposition to each other.

 Lastly, I see the Critical Theory of Communication in Organizations as a strong indicator

of how (group) communication can affect our vocation literally, through an HR team decision

choosing to hire you or indirectly by how one communicates a reaction toward group decisions

they are a recipient of, particularly those that are disappointing. Theorist, Stanley Deetz, suggests

that in present-day corporate practices, “the right of expression appears more central than the

right to be informed or to have an effect” (Griffin). I believe this limits the recipient of a big

decision by limiting their voice. As one educated in communication, we must know how to

respond appropriately, professionally, fairly, assertively, and above all, Christ-like.

Managing meaning and communication is something Christians educated in a

communication field need to be sensitive to. In the book, Speaking Into the Air, Peters says

sometimes what is communicated is the representation of the real thing. In his words, “there are

no sure signs of communication, only hits and guesses.” Because this is the reality of

communication, what we communicate should be measured by successful coordination of

behaviors (Peters).

Christians can communicate love through responding to the whole of the other person,

responding artfully, honoring differences, and communicating with empathy (Baxter and

Akkoor). Communication is truly a coordination of behaviors between communicators and

continues to operate in this way regardless of whatever context communication occurs, including

the workplace.

“Voice means expressing interests that are freely and openly formed, and then having

those interests reflected in a joint decision” (Griffin). How does this help us live out Christ-like

communication in the workplace to ultimately live a life surrendered to Jesus? “Deetz wants to

examine communication practices in organizations that undermine fully representative decision

making and thus reduce the quality, innovation, and fairness of business decisions” (Griffin). In

my college experience those who held the power, closed the doors, and we will have to live with

this reality for many years to come. Although Deetz has strong views on communication in

organizations, there is truth in what he is saying, “Forms of control based in communication

systems impede any real worker voice in structuring their work” (Griffin).

The realities of communication in organizations are all very relevant to living a

surrendered life. In the end, God ultimately has the final say of how events and decisions will

transpire in our life through his sovereign will and supremacy over all things. The Bible has

numerous references to the character qualities of sovereignty and supremacy of the Lord.

Colossians 1:16 says, “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and

invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through

him and for him” (NIV).

As human beings, we do not have enough agency to control every aspect of our lives with

our communication, and this is another reason to live a life surrendered to Jesus. The One that all

things were created through and for. The One who has the last word. The One who will

communicate at the end of time, “Behold I am coming soon! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the

First and the Last, the Beginning and the End” (Rev. 22:12-13, NIV). So, why not surrender to

the beginning and end of all that is and will be!

 Work Cited

Baxter, Leslie, and Chitra Akkoor. “Communication Ethics: Between Cosmopolitanism and

Provinciality.” Choice Reviews Online, vol. 46, no. 11, 2009, pp. 23–39.,

https://doi.org/10.5860/choice.46-6017.

Griffin, Emory A., et al. A First Look at Communication Theory. McGraw Hill, 2023.

Peters, John Durham. “A Squeeze of the Hand.” Speaking Into the Air: A History of the Idea of

Communication, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL, 2012, pp. 263–269.

The Holy Bible: New International Version. Biblica, 2015.