Hard Hearts and Gracious Hope
… perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth,God’s grace and His ability to transform the heart, mind, and soul of a person extends far beyond anything we can imagine. The hardest heart, the most stubborn spirit, the most entrenched position – it can all be changed if God is involved. This isn’t to say that MY persuasive words will change someone, but that I do not want to find myself working counter to what God would do.
and they may come to their senses…
~2 Timothy 2:25b-26a
It’s interesting also to note that what happens in this hopeful scenario is not that my opponent would become convinced of the truth, but that my opponent would be repentant. That is, the one to whom I am being kind, truthful, and patient, would turn toward God in faith. It is that broken and repentant heart that then leads someone to know God’s truth.
I see this scenario played out and subverted all the time, from the embattled positions held in theological and political fights to my years in youth ministry to my own parenting. Attacking an opponent, even if we are “in the right” usually just pushes them further from you and from the truth. Cultivating kindness and patience in a relationship opens hearts to hear the truth and change; it helps truth 'land' in fertile soil where it can grow. (And sometimes that soil is my own!)
*This reflection came from an extended series on truth and error in 2 Timothy 2, found HERE.
