Don’t try to convince anyone of anything.
Maxim #43
Christians who are on fire with the love of God naturally want to share what they have received with others. Sometimes the zeal to share our faith can lead to methods that drive others further away from the faith, rather than drawing them toward it. I recently came upon this short piece of advice from Matthew Kelly in one of his Mustard Seeds.
Hold your right hand in front of you and visualize one person on each finger – people you can help grow closer to God. Pray each day for these people. Try to develop your friendship with each of them by spending time with them individually. See them at least once a month on a one-to-one basis. Show an active interest in their interests. Do not mention God or religion unless they introduce these topics to your conversation. If they do introduce the topics comment only briefly. After twelve months you will have built a friendship based on selflessness that demands respect. This friendship will then become the vehicle for the truth to spread.
This small seed of wisdom tells us that we should begin all evangelization with an emphasis on relationships. True evangelization does not begin with logic, but with an encounter with Jesus Christ. That’s how it worked for the first disciples, and that’s still how it works today.
