This is Personal!

A friend of mine has an ongoing argument with her husband. Yes, it’s the dreaded toilet seat battle.

“Why can’t you put the ring and cover back down?” “Why does it matter so much?”
“I don’t want the dog drinking out of it.” “It’s obviously not killing him.”
“But it’s unsanitary.” “Stop letting him lick your face.”
“Just put the seat down!” “As a matter of fact, even without the toilet water issue, stop letting him lick your face.”
“Don’t change the subject on me. This is about you and the toilet seat.” “Not really. It’s about YOU and the toilet seat.”

And that’s the heart of it, isn’t it? My friend cares about the toilet seat; her husband doesn’t. It just isn’t a personal issue for him.

Now you would think that would mean he could just drop that seat, since he really doesn’t care one way or the other. But that would require a change in his many-years-ingrained habits. He’s spent way more years not closing covers than hearing his wife complain about it. Humans are creatures of habit and we don’t easily change our lives – even in small ways – unless it’s personal to us.

This is why there’s an evangelizing challenge that I think must be particularly ineffective. You’ve probably heard it – Nicole Nordeman’s got a beautiful song built around it. “What if you’re wrong? What if God is real?” The argument is we should just believe in God – if He’s real, you have eternal salvation. If He’s not, at least you lived a really good life.

Even if that were a complete picture of what following Christ means, it’s foolish to think people will do it. We’re just not wired that way. Even a minimal following of God means some substantial adjustments to our thinking and habits. And changing our habits on the off chance something might be better for us some day… Uh-uh – no way humans are going make changes based on that.

That’s why Prairie Oak leadership spends a lot of prayer and effort on giving people the opportunity to personally encounter God. If we don’t meet Him personally, we’re not going to change. Most of us would barely bother with the Christmas and Easter church appearances, except that these visits are themselves habits.

So if you’ve been talking and talking with someone about believing in God, time to stop arguing for the faith. Help them meet your Father, instead. Make it personal.

Any comments on how God is personal for you? Or arguments you’ve never been able to win? Click below and share them!