Have you noticed that Jesus asked a lot of questions? It’s odd when you think about it, God asking questions, as though he didn’t already know the answers! All the more do we have to ask questions in order to find out where people are coming from. Our goal to introduce them to Jesus notwithstanding, it’s simply interesting to learn about someone’s way of looking at the world and its Maker. We have to take time to learn about them without being in such a lightspeed rush to download all our brilliant presentations of spiritual realities.
Believe me, I know how to put a preach on, and when it seems like the thing to do at the time, I do. But sometimes just listening and saying very little is a better way to go. Sometimes it might be advisable to speak to a sinful behavior and other times not so much. Just because something is true doesn’t mean we need to say it up front.
For instance if I’m a little overweight, and without being invited, you break into offering me dieting advice you might not get very far without me tuning you out mid-recipe.
– Originally published in Reaching Rahab: Joining God In His Quest For Friends
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