{"id":1967,"date":"2022-09-14T06:46:52","date_gmt":"2022-09-14T10:46:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/js1cd06kre.onrocket.site\/?p=1967"},"modified":"2022-09-14T06:46:52","modified_gmt":"2022-09-14T10:46:52","slug":"life-changing-decisions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/2022\/09\/14\/life-changing-decisions\/","title":{"rendered":"Life-Changing Decisions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

To listen to this reflection as a podcast,\u00a0<\/em>click here<\/a>.

For something like a quarter century, a furniture store in my hometown of Indianapolis aired TV commercials that always began with the same 15 words.
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The announcer breathlessly rattled off these four sentences:
\u00a0
You work hard for your money.<\/em>
Now spend your money smart.<\/em>
Be smart.<\/em>
Buy now!\u00a0<\/em>
\u00a0
Each ad began with a video clip of someone working hard \u2013 perhaps an auto mechanic straining under the hood of a car, an executive assistant riffling through a file cabinet, or a sharply-dressed supervisor managing a construction site.\u00a0 By the time the announcer said, \u201cBuy now!\u201d the hardworking man or woman was beaming over a new couch or relaxing in a leather recliner.\u00a0 \u00a0
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Commercials typically have 30 to 60 seconds to convey two messages.\u00a0 First, your life is not as happy as it should be.\u00a0 Second, happiness is just one purchase away.\u00a0 \u201cGreat commercials\u201d are the ones that convince us they somehow know exactly what we need, and provide a jingle, an image, or 15 catchy words to help us remember where to shop.\u00a0
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The furniture store\u2019s ads always led with an affirmation: Everybody knows that you work hard.\u00a0 That\u2019s right, and I\u2019m glad somebody noticed<\/em>.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0
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Then they transitioned to fiscal responsibility: You need to make sure your hard work doesn\u2019t go to waste, and we can help with that.\u00a0 Well, that certainly makes sense<\/em>.
\u00a0
They closed with the pressing need to take action:\u00a0 No hardworking, fiscally responsible person would ever miss this sale. \u00a0You\u2019re right!\u00a0 Where do I sign up?<\/em>
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For as long as people have been trying to convince other people to buy a new product or a try out a new approach to life, certain techniques have been part of the salesperson\u2019s arsenal.\u00a0 There\u2019s self-interest (\u201cYou deserve a break today\u201d).\u00a0 There\u2019s scarcity (\u201cYou\u2019d better act now, because there\u2019s only one dress left in your size\u201d).\u00a0 There are appeals to the customer\u2019s specialness (\u201cBecause of your great credit score, you\u2019re one of the very few people who were invited to this presentation\u201d).\u00a0 There\u2019s conformity (\u201cThousands of people are convinced this is the ultimate laundry breakthrough\u201d).\u00a0 And of course there\u2019s urgency (\u201cAs you can see by the clock counting down in the corner of your screen, this deal is good for just 20 more minutes\u201d).\u00a0
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No sane person would ever make such appeals when it comes to major life decisions.
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We wouldn\u2019t say to a high school student on graduation day, \u201cCareer opportunities are disappearing fast.\u00a0 You owe it to yourself to pick your life\u2019s work immediately.\u201d\u00a0 Nor would we say to someone after a first date, \u201cYou now have 20 minutes to decide whether or not this is your true love.\u201d\u00a0
\u00a0
When it comes to lifelong, lifechanging decisions, we take our time.\u00a0 We do our homework.\u00a0 We talk to wise friends.\u00a0 With calculated intention, we make our choices with open hearts and open minds.\u00a0
\u00a0
Why, then, when it comes to introducing another person to Jesus, do so many Christians think they have to \u201cclose the deal\u201d in a matter of minutes \u2013 as if we were trying to get someone to buy a bedroom suite before they leave the store?\u00a0
\u00a0
Nothing in this world matters more than deciding whether or not God is really there, and whether his Son deserves to be the leader of my life.\u00a0
\u00a0
But all too often, one of the assumptions operating in our faith-sharing subculture is that life\u2019s most important decision has to happen now<\/em>.\u00a0 Christians idolize the confident \u201cpersonal evangelist\u201d who always witnesses to the person sitting beside them on a flight.\u00a0 \u201cHe was a pagan when we took off in Chicago but was in the kingdom before we reached Los Angeles!\u201d\u00a0
\u00a0
Such speedy transitions really do take place.\u00a0 But they are rare. \u00a0As author and seminary professor George Hunter has documented, it takes an average of 35 encounters of one kind or another for an unbelieving person to cross the line of faith.\u00a0 Those might include a conversation that took place 10 years ago.\u00a0 Or a magazine article that caught one\u2019s eye.\u00a0 Or a chance encounter with an old friend in the produce aisle of the grocery.\u00a0 Or a vivid dream.\u00a0 Or words that were once heard at a funeral.\u00a0 Since the Holy Spirit is endlessly creative, the possibilities are likewise endless.
\u00a0
More than likely, that conversation on the plane just so happened to be the 35th<\/sup> (or so) step in a process that had been unfolding in that person\u2019s heart over many years.
\u00a0
That prayer you pray today, or the kind word you speak, or the spiritual encouragement you provide, may not result in the final step of someone\u2019s spiritual awakening.\u00a0 But through God\u2019s grace and power, you will have helped someone move closer to just such a moment.
\u00a0
Does all this mean we should discount the urgency<\/em> of inviting others to Christ?
\u00a0
Of course not.\u00a0 Every human life has an unknown expiration date. \u00a0But exerting undue pressure may lead to a premature, emotional, unexamined decision.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0
\u00a0
Most of us have heard evangelistic pitches that wrap up with something like, \u201cYou need to act now, because you may die before this day is over!\u201d\u00a0 The furniture store may threaten you with missing the next big sale, but a faith-sharer can top that.\u00a0 You don\u2019t want to miss heaven, do you?\u00a0 \u00a0
\u00a0
No, you don\u2019t.\u00a0 But you should also want to make spiritual choices that will actually last. \u00a0Thoughtful decisions that involve the whole person are much more likely to stand the test of time.\u00a0 \u00a0
\u00a0
The late Dallas Willard, one of the most gifted spiritual writers of our time, was convinced that the best way to advertise the Jesus-following life is simply to let others watch your life.\u00a0 Let other people see how you handle stress.\u00a0 How you respond to good news and bad news.\u00a0 How you deal with disappointment.\u00a0 How you keep hope alive.\u00a0 The greatest forum for sharing what it means to follow Jesus might be to invite someone to have a plain old dinner at your house or apartment.\u00a0 Simply be who you are and be open to conversation if and when questions arise. \u00a0\u00a0
\u00a0
Even the most exquisitely crafted pieces of furniture will eventually wear out.
\u00a0
But every person you have ever met is going to last forever.
\u00a0
May we honor others by helping them, as best we can, to thoughtfully<\/em> surrender their hearts and minds to the One who will never let them down.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

To listen to this reflection as a podcast,\u00a0click here. For something like a quarter century, a furniture store in my hometown of Indianapolis aired TV commercials that always began with the same 15 words.\u00a0The announcer breathlessly rattled off these four sentences:\u00a0You work hard for your money.Now spend your money smart.Be smart.Buy now!\u00a0\u00a0Each ad began with a video clip of someone… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1968,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[499,500],"class_list":["post-1967","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-evangelism","tag-faith-sharing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1967","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1967"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1967\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1969,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1967\/revisions\/1969"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1968"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1967"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1967"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glennsreflections.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1967"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}