Have you been frustrated when someone doesn’t accept the rationale of your argument?
Of course you have. We’ve all had that experience. We lay out the facts in clear, concise order, and the other person refuses to recognize what we perceive as obvious truth.
We fail to remember that the other person has different experiences which may lead to an entirely different frame of reference. Hammering them with our perspective simply doesn’t work. Never has, never will.
I can’t count how many times we’ve spoken to people who questioned whether human trafficking is real. Who asked why women stay. Who refused to understand the desperation in cultures where families are forced to sell a child simply so the rest of their children can survive.
Or folks who not-so-subtly suggest our efforts would be better spent closer to home, as though our 22 kids aren’t quite so deserving of love & support because they happened to be born halfway around the world.
I’ll admit, my first reaction is to pound the table in anger, because that always helps, right? I’ve learned, though, about seed-planting. I’ve learned there’s value in simply putting the message out there. As often as possible.
And trusting it’s not my job to change hearts.
More and more, I try to talk with Jesus about process rather than outcomes. He already knows what I want, anyway. I think he cares most about the journey and how I travel. I suspect a sense of peace happens when I do what I can with what I have – and trust him for the outcome.
If you’re like me, the trust part is what’s hard. We plant the seed, then we want to dig it up to make sure it’s germinating.
Jesus says we can leave that part to him.