Sunday is spiritual day.
Have you ever known someone who discovered something life-changing for them, and now they can’t stop talking about it?
And talking about it?
And talking about it?
I can tell you I’m guilty. I bang on my obese nephew too much about exercising more…I’m trying to stop. Sigh.
Sometimes a new convert to a point of view gets so overbearing that others refer to them as a Bible thumper.
Bible thumper
n. Offensiv.
‘Used as a disparaging term for a Christian, especially a fundamentalist or evangelical Christian, considered to be overly zealous in haranguing or censuring others.‘
How often to you lecture your relatives or friends about the wonders or science of your product? Or how wonderful the business might be if they would just DO it?
But they just don’t get it? They don’t see it? But you SO WANT them to?
When Jesus told his disciples to go forth and tell the story, he did not advise them to be “overly zealous,” to “censure others” or to nag them until you are no longer welcome.
Au contraire, he taught them to Say no first.
“If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town.” Matthew 10:14
Shall we take that advice and just let go? Until they’re ready, should that day ever come?
Kim,
A’men’…
🙂
Guilty, as charged. Am learning.
And lovin’ the learnin’…
Carolyn
Yes…at some point we must say no – otherwise:
A) We help them close their minds, or
B) They give-in to shut us up…and never really experience the benefits.
Share your point of view – and be there when they’re ready.
Great post!
I believe that to the extent that I am asked, or someone brings up my passions/expertise into the conversation, is to the extent that I should discuss such matters.
The flip side of the coin…I’ve found that I deem someone’s information especially credible only when I ask a question, that I happen to be curious about is, in fact, the first I’ve ever heard them speak of it. Then I am ALL EARS to their answer.
Then there is blogging and advertising. Read it. Don’t read it. On with life.
This is one of the reasons I love Network Marketing Central. Thanks Kim.
Lisa Dingel
Mentoring For Free
712.832.3852
You have no idea how close to home you hit on this one.
If the target audience isn’t in a place to hear it our message, they will not be open to listening. No matter how important we think our message is. When we beat them on the head with it, we lose them. However, when we inquire, ask and care, when we put aside our own agenda and serve our fellow human, then it’s a different outcome.
Case in point:
About 3 years ago my wife, Erin, got saved, I was an Atheist. The more she walked with Christ, the more entrenched I became as an Atheist. I put a Darwin sticker on my car and got more and more vocal against religion and God. Our close friends who were saved kept counseling Erin not to push me. (I find it interesting that I was surrounded by Christians. Most of my close friends when I was an Atheist were Christians.) They even told her to not pull out her bible or study or read Christian books when I was around. They knew I was not a willing ear. However, Erin wanted me to be saved more than anything else in the world. She thought it was imperative that she present to me everything she possibly could in order to convince me of her position. It was very hard for Erin to follow the advice of our friends, but she did. She said ‘no’ first simply by keeping her Christian life separate from me. Good thing she listened to wise council. If she had done it the way she wanted to, I would have dug in deeper. I doubt we would still be married. Worse yet, I probably would have been forever lost.
Then about a year ago, some things started happening in my life that opened my heart little by little. Erin started seeing the changes happening in me and when the time was right for me, she invited to see what she was doing. Well, it worked. I took the invitation. As I was ready for more, she gave me more, but not more than what I was asking for. She didn’t seize the opportunity to cram everything down my throat. The result was that I was saved in March of this year.
Just because I say ‘no’ first doesn’t mean that the person will never want to hear about what I have. It’s just simply recognizing now is not the time for that person. If I find even a small way to be of service to that person, I may have an better opportunity in the future to help them out in a much grander way. Like what my wife did with me.
Don’t beat him up and take away his lunch money. Instead, offer to help carry his books . You’ll probably get invited for dinner.
-Connelly
Connelly,
What a great story and example. Thanks for sharing it.
Yes, I,too, need to be reminded in a way that resonates with me that just because I am “there” it doesnt mean that evervyone else is or that anyone else is where I am.
“Its not on their radar.” is a phrase that I remember and say to myself as a reminder.
And Kim seems to send something my way just when I need it the most.
m
M
What a wonderful story! Thank so much Connelly for sharing it. There are a lot of lessons to learn packed into your life experience.
Another thing that came to my mind was when we tell too much and appear to be the expert, others who don’t have the same knowledge to draw from think that they can not share the product or business because they can not say it like it was told to them.
This experience was so discouraging for me and I realized that I was saying too much. I just didn’t know how to get my products out there with out it. Then I learned about Kim…I am so grateful. When I read her “If my product is so good why can’t I sell it?” book, I knew I had found a way to help others say it and keep myself from saying too much! 🙂
I think we are all guilty of this at one time or another. When people see us doing something new they seem to sling back away anyway thinking they are going to have to try it too as your friend. If I see someone with this skin crawling results I never mention it again. I have found success bothers people in more than one way, or when you try someting new in life.
I’m with Carolyn, “Guilty as charged” — but no more, at least I don’t think so. 🙂
When I fell into Network Marketing almost 4 years ago, I was SO excited about the possibility of financial freedom, and I so wanted my friends who are still working on their jobs (but complaining about how broke they are) to just SEE what I saw.
And couldn’t understand WHY I couldn’t get any of them to go to a presentation! It took me a while to finally realize a few things:
1-Since I told them ‘everything’ there was no need for them to attend. I had told them all the information (never mind that I also broke the ‘do a 3-way’ rule by not taking myself out of the equation).
2-Most people who ‘say’ they want to make extra money REALLY don’t want to do what is required, and/or their mindset cannot handle what it takes to really be in this business, even on a part-time basis.
3-Karla said it well: “when we tell too much and appear to be the expert, others who don’t have the same knowledge to draw from think that they can not share the product or business because they can not say it like it was told to them.”
So now that I’m a bit wiser and FINALLY understand the concept of ‘taking it away from them’ or ‘Say no first’ as Kim stated, I have a completely different attitude. It’s not one of desperation like it used to be.
My attitude nowadays is truly more along the lines of the old adage “you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink”.
Besides, our ‘job’ is simply to expose and introduce and that’s IT. After that, it’s on them as to what they do with the information we have shared.
And Connelly, your testimony is powerful! God was working on your heart even before you realized, as evidenced by your own admission that: “(I find it interesting that I was surrounded by Christians. Most of my close friends when I was an Atheist were Christians).”
God indeed not only works in mysterious ways, but puts people in our lives for a reason. I’m so thankful that Kim and this Network are now apart of my life.
Let the church say “AMEN”! 🙂