Almost Thou Persuadest Me...

This post spoke to me today, it's short and worth reading the quick link if you have time:

http://www.jacklynady.com/lifestyle/dont-waste-your-time-convincing-the-nonbeliever/

His final conclusion:  "...because the people who need and believe in what you and I have to offer are just around the next corner. Better to find them and serve them well than wasting time trying to convince all the nonbelievers."  This immediately put me in mind of one of Jesus' wedding parables.  It is the one in which a messenger is sent out to gather guests to attend a wedding, but when these potential guests were too much otherwise occupied, the servant was NOT sent back to be more persuasive--he was sent to new different guests; for that matter, to less likely guests.  What do I do with this pathway? 
Why is it so tempting to want to be persuasive?  Maybe because persuasion supports this self-image that I am someone intelligent and eloquent, a good "witness" for the One who sends me?  These are not bad aspirations...unless He is more interested in my obedience than my eloquence at this moment. Then the best measure of me would be to give me the unconvince-able and see how long I squat with them. 
He sends Paul before Agrippa. 
He sends me to watch someone wade into the cesspool where I was nearly poisoned, even while my flesh is only just healing from the festering sores of that acid sludge.
He sends me the worker too busy to celebrate. 
He sends one running to me; one I will love; one who lacks only this:  a reckless generosity of spirit.  He sends and then leaves me to watch as that one walks away sad, unpersuaded.  (Mark 10:17-22)

August 26
Faith and Work
There have been times when fear of my own weakness--whether due to a temptation or due to a sense of lack in my natural ability--has made me consider not doing something I found myself given both opportunity and calling toward. I don't want to fail the people I'd impact with my own leap of faith when they take the leap of faith in me.
It ends up not being just my leap of faith, but all of ours.
That's when this verse gives me comfort: And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose. Romans 8:28
Interesting to think that this is the wall my free-will hits and can not reach beyond: God refuses to allow me the freedom to mess something up so badly that He can't turn it around and make it good.
So God says, "Here is a good thing." Then I come along and seemingly destroy all its potential for good and delude myself from even seeing what I've done for the longest time. Finally, when I'm ready to notice, He comes along and says, "No problem, I can take what you did with this good thing gone bad and actually make it even better than the original design intended!" What a frustration for Satan; what a glory for God; what a relief for me.

This is not to say I should take my failings lightly, nor deny the guilt that will lead to repentance and change, but I should not be paralyzed by fear nor overshadowed by hopelessness.
The Jews asked Jesus, "What shall we do that we may work the works of God?" Jesus answered, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent." John 6:28-29. Our first work before any other--before anything glitzy or glamorous or that would tempt someone to be impressed with us, (or heaven forbid, we be tempted to be impressed with ourselves) is simple faith in the Man.

In the end, it's not so much about who believes us.
It's about who we believe...