Do any of you have kids who throw fits?
I mean real, down-and-dirty, nostril-flaring, vein-popping temper tantrums.
We’ve got one. Possibly two.
When our oldest son would disobey, he’d get in trouble and then scream at us.
I, being the tough no-nonsense dad, would yell back. I figured if I got louder and my voice got deeper he would shrink back in fear and I would win by dominance.
It rarely worked.
He’d get louder. And pretty soon, we were both screaming and both incoherent. Nothing made sense. Neither one of us listened to the other person.
Totally counterproductive.
Then I learned something. When he would throw one of those fits, I would get down on my knee and look at him in the eye. I would speak softly and carefully — never giving up my authority, but reinforcing it with kindness and love.
There is a lot of yelling going on inside and outside of churches today. Today’s society is politically charged. There are people outside the church who disagree vehemently with those of us inside. They think we’re weak. They think we’re brainwashed. They think we’ve fallen for a huge lie.
On the other side of the door, we have us. We’re Christians, knowing we have the benefit of God and His supreme authority. Sometimes our urge is to open the door, fling a Bible in their direction and thump our chests.
But instead of opening the door and screaming back at the people who ridicule us, we need to take Christ’s example. We need to open the door, look our detractors in the eye, humble ourselves, love them, and invite them to know what we know — the Truth of Jesus Christ.
How does your church respond to those who ridicule?
***
Read what people are saying about Hands and Feet Marketing.