We Get Excited When People Swear at Us!
Recent years have proven to be a very stressful time for many people. A Forbes poll concluded that 2020 ‘officially became the most stressful year in recent history’, and as days go by, things seem to be becoming even more stressful for individuals and their families. It’s no surprise that more and more people are venting about various topics. One common question is, “Why does God allow suffering?” Often, these are not just questions but also negative and abusive comments, some of which we are sworn at!
The other day we discussed this and how we get excited when people swear at us; it's simply an opportunity to redirect the conversation.
Typically, people who face swearing or negative comments from others can respond the same or avoid and ignore the person. However, our approach is different: we choose to listen! This approach has proven to transform negative interactions into fruitful conversations. It has helped and continues to help people explore their emotions, gain a deeper understanding of themselves and others, and even understand how Jesus can help them through anything.
Another observation we are finding is that more and more people are questioning God during these times. “Who is He?”, “Where is He?”, “Is He nice or mean?”. Those who never had an interest in God are now finding themselves thinking about Him and questioning other things related to Him. People come into the chat confused, curious or hungry for answers to what has been swirling around in their heads, while others come in with truckloads of rude and abusive language toward us and towards God.
The reason why I personally get excited about these types of conversations is because I was once exactly like this! My view toward Christians, Christianity and God was also rude and negative, however, my perspective shifted when someone took the time to listen to me. Regardless of my attitude toward them, they patiently explained things to me and it was these types of encounters that led me to consider a personal relationship with God. A decision that completely transformed my life!
Just like my own experience, being heard and being genuinely valued begins to help people open up. Even if their decision to know God personally ends up being a flat-out ‘nope’, they have still had a good experience with a Christian while being given a safe and honest place to freely express and explore what’s going on for them at that time.
Here are just a few instances where this has occurred:
We are not sure why *Sue had a negative view of Christians, but her comment to us after conversing with a team member was; “You’ve proven that not every Christian is hateful. I’m still not interested in religion though.”
*Bryan was initially argumentative, however, toward the end of the conversation he ended up saying this; “God, please give me physical evidence of your existence.”
Here is one of our Responder’s replies after receiving abuse toward themselves and God; “His name is Jesus. And yes He loves you. You are one incredibly wonderful human being. Thank you for coming on to chat. And know the human here is always happy to chat with you.”
*Names changed
We love the safe space we provide for Explorers to vent, chat and explore. We also love giving them a good, healthy experience with a Christian … they may have never been given the opportunity before.
