Over the past six months I have trued to persuade. I wish I could say that I have succeeded in my efforts. Candidly, I am not sure my message has always gotten through. I am very sure several did not agree with my viewpoint. The situations have ranged from interesting to successful to difficult and even disastrous.
I am learning. My message has become more refined and simple. I have taken some of the contentious, less than important parts out of my point of view. I am directly getting to the point. However, the point remains. “Some of them were persuaded by what he said, but others refused to believe a word of it.” (Acts 28.24)
In context of the situation at hand, I wonder what I should do next. Is this a call for more effort? Is it time to move on? How important is the important?
As I reflect on the coming week, the question I have not wrestled with is one of community. Does everyone need to believe? What if they were agnostic? Can I move forward knowing that there are doubters and skeptics?
In my responsibility to drive things forward, I do not recall a mandate to convince everyone. I am often reminded that I need to give stakeholders the opportunity to become part of a great story. If a core mass says yes, then I am good to go. Nobody speaks of those that do not believe. Everyone seems to understand that there will be opposition. What happens with them is left in the unknown.
In the past, my competitive nature told me that this was not good enough. I needed to win! This translated into a body of believers that were 100% convinced. As I age, I am not sure that there has ever been any group that was 100%. They may have talked as if they were. They may have even acted as if they were. The reality of their actions in the unfolding story spoke of unresolved doubts and fears.
I need believers and unbelievers. I need community.
