
These situations may involve decisions that are made in leadership team or business meetings, or in conversations with our roommates or spouse on the “proper” way to place the toilet paper on the roll (just so you know the paper goes down over the top), or on how to strategize while playing a game, or even deciding what is best to serve for a holiday meal.
We may have always done something a certain way—or believe our thoughts on how to do certain things have been thoughtfully and carefully discerned—and are right.
We may be right.
We may be wrong.
Or, we may be neither.
The more important outcomes for such disputable matters are how well we preserve relationships, and how well we “play with others on the playground.”
There are many different and okay ways to do things that are not doctrinally mandated from the Scriptures. Yet it’s so easy to wish others would just get on board with what we are sure is the best way to do a particular thing—the right way.
Wyndham has for years practiced wisdom that understands the need to persuade and be persuadable. Wisdom finds a way to reason together:
“Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.
‘Come now, let us reason together,’ says the LORD…” — Isaiah 1:16b-18a
We can dig our heels in, insisting on our way…or we can seek to persuade and be persuadable. We can reason together.
Wisdom knows how to do both.
So how do we persuade without being obnoxious? I refer again to James 3:17:
“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.”
“All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” –1 Peter 5:5b
While trying to persuade, pure hearts are also persuadable—because they listen and desire to learn. Because they value relationship over winning.
Peace-loving-persuasion ensures that respect is given to other opinions, and condescending comments or gestures are avoided. Nothing undermines persuasion more than obstinance and disrespect.
We are more able to persuade when we speak with consideration to others—considering how our comments will be heard, considering our tone, considering our body language, considering where others are coming from. However, when we begin with a pure heart these attributes follow.