How do we attract others to our way of thinking?
And why is “attraction” important in every day engagements with people?
Watch our Truth in Two to find out (full text below).
Valentine’s Day teaches us that attraction is something we offer to others.
Subscribe to “Truth in Two” videos from Comenius (here). Mark is President of The Comenius Institute (website). Dr. Eckel spends time with Christian young people in public university (1 minute video), teaching at Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis, and interprets culture from a Christian vantage point (1 minute video). Consider becoming a Comenius patron (here).
Picture Credit: Luke Renoe, Snappy Goat
FULL TEXT
Valentine’s Day always reminds me of what I saw on high school student notebooks. Drawing a heart on her 3-ring binder a young woman might write “Sally hearts David.” In high school, a Valentine’s Day heart may be nothing more than simple attraction. How we appeal to another person, may change over time, but our interest in attracting others to our cares and concerns, continue.
How does one attract or appeal to others? Proverbs 13.15 says we influence or gain favor by using “good sense.” The Hebrew word for “favor” is an adornment, something pleasing to people. So, we draw others to an idea with graciousness to gain a hearing. Scripture is full of folks who attracted favor. The Bible uses the phrase about a person that their lives were “pleasing God and man.” Examples include Samuel, David, Daniel, Paul, and Jesus in Luke 2. Attraction does not dismiss the *what* or *why* of belief. Attraction answers the how and when questions, about approach. “How?’ and “When?” are important questions when considering attraction. People who attract others to their point of view use “good sense,” what Proverbs calls “prudence.” One who is prudent assesses any situation and fits her message within the culture and context of the moment. Making the best decision possible in difficult situations, begins with our attractive approach. Winning favor, hoping people might listen, without giving up one’s belief, may do more to attract someone to your point of view. Making ourselves, our viewpoints attractive to others, may begin on a high school notebooks. But on Valentine’s Day we should consider how and when we make our beliefs attractive to others.
For Truth in Two, this is Dr. Mark Eckel, President of the Comenius Institute, personally seeking truth wherever it’s found.