I may have forgotten some of my "refusing skill" out of respect. Thus I've accepted few helps at different times. What a mistake! Or was it a wonderful learning opportunity? Two black basketball player looking guys each began to talk to me. One at the beginning of the trip in the back and one at the end when I changed my seat into the front. They would talk nicely at the beginning and then start to ask for text number, and then say things like "You are beautiful", "I like you", "I will pray for your ears and you pray for my imperfection", "You broke my heart" and even "Well, you will never know! You could marry me!" Blah! He simply tried to convince me to share my number!
How did I respond?
I said a thank you. I refused to share my text number. But when a guy mentioned that he will pray for me, acting holy as he took his worn-out pocket Bible out, I turned my offense light on. Instead of nodding, I took out my pen and paper to share Exodus 3:10-12 with him. For even God created the Deaf and had His purposes for them on the earth, so please don't try to pray for my deafness to go away unless WE know that it's God's will.
My politness wasn't enough. He continued. Yet, there is another option than being mean or being a cold-shoulder to him. Even with his flattering, I showed him another way for a short time. But this test came negative, so the talk had to end. I began to nod at his nagging comments and get into my book. No divine opportunity for this trip.
Let us look into the biblical options:
-Acts 13:50-51 says that the Jews stirred up against Paul and Barnabas, but they shook off the dust and went into other city to be filled with the Spirit and joy.
-Genesis 19:9-11 says that the men pressed hard as Lot passively tried to change their mind with his daughters without cutting them off, but the angels took Lot back before he gave his daughters to them and shut the door, and then they blinded the wicked men.
-Luke 9:54 says that James and John wanted to aggressively call for the fire from the heaven to destroy the people who didn't welcome Jesus.
I could talk to anyone, even those big men (in public where it is safe to do so). But when time wasted away as they wanted the thing that we cannot give, we got to turn away in a Christ-like manner.
We don't need to be passive Christians who allowed them to push us. Yet we don't need to express our unChrist-like attitudes to turn them away. BUT we can shake the dust off and get out or turn away. Neither we accept their attacks nor try to attack them.
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