T
TrustAndObey
Guest
As I was reading the bible for the first time I can remember thinking "I have to TELL people what I just learned!"
I was under the impression that everyone went to a similar church as the one I did as a child, and that certain things just "weren't discussed".
What I didn't realize was that most people were given a lot more insight than I was in my childhood church, but they had already rejected what I considered to be this amazing new light.
What I learned, oftentimes the hard way, is that even when you can't wait to share something, some people certainly can wait to hear it
-OR- they already have, and decided it wasn't in line with their interpretation of scripture (or their churchs view on the scripture).
I've had to back away from several discussions, especially with family, since I read the bible myself. If I were to jump into every religious conversation and let them know where *I* thought they were wrong about something, I know exactly where the discussion would go, and it wouldn't be fruitful, it would just be emotionally charged.
We do more harm than good when we try to force someone into seeing something they're either not ready to see or they're not willing to see at the time. I call it spiritual backfiring. All we can do is plant a seed, and leave it up to God to do the rest.
I took my son to the park yesterday and as he was playing I sat under a pavilion with the grandmother of another child there. She asked me what textbook I was reading, which led to talking about nursing, which led to talking about healing....which eventually led to talking about our Savior.
It was a GLORIOUS conversation and one that I feel very blessed to have had with a stranger.
She asked me where I go to church and when I said I was Seventh-day Adventist she said "oh, you go on the Jewish Sabbath" and in response I said, "no, I go on God's Sabbath."
She asked me probably 15 questions about Sabbath after that. I talked to her from the heart and looked her square in the eye as I did.
She told me this was something she was going to look into, and had never really thought about.
We exchanged phone numbers to meet at the park with our kids some other time in the future. I have no plans on calling to MAKE SURE she looks into the Sabbath, and I wont ask her if she has when we meet again. If the Spirit leads her to look into it, she will. If she wants to discuss it, we will.
If I had told her that I felt she was worshipping on the wrong day, or put her intelligence into question, or barked ANYTHING at her, trust me, the conversation wouldve ended right then and there. She was a sassy little grandmother from Arkansas. You dont mess with sassy little grandmothers from Arkansas....I learned that LONG ago. Not that I even thought about it, because this was a woman that truly loves our Lord and our conversation was truly fruitful for both of us.
The way we say things is just as important as what we say. In the past, I haven't really handled religious debates well with my family, and yesterday was the first day God showed me how to do it. (Thank you Father).
I hope she feels just as blessed as I do that we met yesterday. I prayed for rain on the seed that got planted yesterday, but if it isnt time for her, shes still my sister.
I can only speak for myself, but when someone belittles my intelligence when I dont agree with them, the push definitely isnt to suddenly change my way of thinking. The push is to stay away from the person slinging insults, and what they say after the initial insult is pretty much wasted.
I really do pray for peace on this forum. Lets all plant our seeds, and let God do the rest. If it wasnt meant to be, it wont happen. But if it was.....all glory to God!
Many blessings,
~Lainie
I was under the impression that everyone went to a similar church as the one I did as a child, and that certain things just "weren't discussed".
What I didn't realize was that most people were given a lot more insight than I was in my childhood church, but they had already rejected what I considered to be this amazing new light.
What I learned, oftentimes the hard way, is that even when you can't wait to share something, some people certainly can wait to hear it
-OR- they already have, and decided it wasn't in line with their interpretation of scripture (or their churchs view on the scripture).I've had to back away from several discussions, especially with family, since I read the bible myself. If I were to jump into every religious conversation and let them know where *I* thought they were wrong about something, I know exactly where the discussion would go, and it wouldn't be fruitful, it would just be emotionally charged.
We do more harm than good when we try to force someone into seeing something they're either not ready to see or they're not willing to see at the time. I call it spiritual backfiring. All we can do is plant a seed, and leave it up to God to do the rest.
I took my son to the park yesterday and as he was playing I sat under a pavilion with the grandmother of another child there. She asked me what textbook I was reading, which led to talking about nursing, which led to talking about healing....which eventually led to talking about our Savior.
It was a GLORIOUS conversation and one that I feel very blessed to have had with a stranger.
She asked me where I go to church and when I said I was Seventh-day Adventist she said "oh, you go on the Jewish Sabbath" and in response I said, "no, I go on God's Sabbath."
She asked me probably 15 questions about Sabbath after that. I talked to her from the heart and looked her square in the eye as I did.
She told me this was something she was going to look into, and had never really thought about.
We exchanged phone numbers to meet at the park with our kids some other time in the future. I have no plans on calling to MAKE SURE she looks into the Sabbath, and I wont ask her if she has when we meet again. If the Spirit leads her to look into it, she will. If she wants to discuss it, we will.
If I had told her that I felt she was worshipping on the wrong day, or put her intelligence into question, or barked ANYTHING at her, trust me, the conversation wouldve ended right then and there. She was a sassy little grandmother from Arkansas. You dont mess with sassy little grandmothers from Arkansas....I learned that LONG ago. Not that I even thought about it, because this was a woman that truly loves our Lord and our conversation was truly fruitful for both of us.
The way we say things is just as important as what we say. In the past, I haven't really handled religious debates well with my family, and yesterday was the first day God showed me how to do it. (Thank you Father).
I hope she feels just as blessed as I do that we met yesterday. I prayed for rain on the seed that got planted yesterday, but if it isnt time for her, shes still my sister.
I can only speak for myself, but when someone belittles my intelligence when I dont agree with them, the push definitely isnt to suddenly change my way of thinking. The push is to stay away from the person slinging insults, and what they say after the initial insult is pretty much wasted.
I really do pray for peace on this forum. Lets all plant our seeds, and let God do the rest. If it wasnt meant to be, it wont happen. But if it was.....all glory to God!
Many blessings,
~Lainie
