Have you heard of magical thinking? This term is not a compliment and it is used to describe people, particularly the primitive and uneducated, who draw cause and effect relationships where there are none, and attempt to obtain desired outcomes through ineffective actions. Have you ever heard this term applied to believers? There are those who pray to get their own way, but your faith, properly understood and practiced, is not magical.
How do you see the universe? Some who see it as self-existent still refer to nature as having not just force, but also intention and benevolence. But what is the source of these things apart from a supreme being? It is inherent in the human condition to care about the suffering of multitudes, the extinction of species, and destruction of beauty. Even for those who deny it there is a cry for order, for meaning and purpose beyond human acknowledgment. Are your beliefs consistent with the longing of your heart? You need me to give you satisfaction about the nature of your world.
Do you want to hear from me? Are there answers to your questions that you have determined in advance not to accept? Do you have predetermined answers that are the only ones you will accept? Can you see how either of these conditions will prevent you from hearing clearly from me? Can you see the risk of coming to me with a predetermined answer and getting the impression that I have validated it? Do you understand that my ways are higher than yours, and that I know what is best for you, and that I love you?
Are you cool? You know this refers to more than temperature. It is a commonly used social status term, especially among young people. What does it consist of? This term is used to describe people who are aloof, emotionally self-sufficient, and detached. It is not cool to display enthusiasm. Among those who use this term this way it is considered the most desirable of compliments. Yet people who are cool are lacking in passion and compassion and empathy. In this case the analogy to temperature is valid in that cool people are not warm.
Have you ever felt excluded from a conversation because it was about hobbies or professions or activities that were not of general interest and that you knew nothing about? Have you ever been an insider in a conversation that others were excluded from? So what conversation topics have universal appeal? Have you found that stories of great adventures involving love, courage, wisdom or faith appeal to everyone? What does this tell you about the universal human condition? If you understand this principle you will be able to engage with any audience and include everyone.
Would you prefer to avoid the trials of your faith? Do you see any value in the trying of your faith? As a consumer you prefer things that have been proven and tested and shown to work. If you were buying gold you would want it to be refined, and this only occurs in the fire, but it makes the gold more valuable. Have you ever been a consumer of the faith of others that has been tried? Don’t you find that those who have endured trials have gained the ability to speak with authority and wisdom?
Do you live in a community? How many people do you know who would come and bail you out of trouble in the middle of the night, either literally or figuratively? How many people would you do this for? You are right to refer to such people as friends, but where do you find such friends? A church is among other things a community of faith. Blessed are those who belong to such a community. Your common beliefs form the binding energy that holds your group together. When I said that it was not good for a man to be alone I prepared for him a mate, but this principle is far broader than that.
In competitive races, all the contestants start at the same place so it is a fair contest. But this is not true in life. Some people are born to privilege, even if that just means a stable home with adequate income, loving parents, and access to education. Don’t discount these things; not everyone has them. Have you noticed skeptics living lives of good character? They were probably brought up right. Do you see believers struggle with character development? I take all comers and you may recall that the gospel is good news for the poor.
Do you believe in a spiritual realm? Can you see it? What would you expect it to look like? If you maintain that it is invisible, is there any visible evidence of it? If you accept the premise that I created the heavens and the earth, would it be more accurate to say that nothing that is visible is spiritual, or that everything that is visible is spiritual? There are indeed realities that are not visible, but there is visible evidence for them. When I invite you to look at things that are unseen, or to look at me, or to look up for your redemption draws nigh, I am not mocking you.
I taught the crowds in parables, and explained them to my disciples. Do you think I did this to reveal meaning or to obscure meaning? Some concepts lend themselves to legal or scientific language. Others are better understood through symbolic language and metaphor. I came to declare the Kingdom of God and it is better revealed by the second method. Does your rational background make you think that meaning is only expressed by the first method? Do you understand that symbol and metaphor are real as much as closed-form linear structured argument? He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
