Do you see their eyes? Do their eyes make you feel self conscious?
Do you see their ears? If you are addressing the crowd, what are they thinking about what they are hearing . . . and are they really listening?
Do you see their mouths? What are they saying, or how are they planning to respond to what you are saying?
Do you see their hands? What are they doing, or what do you think they are doing, or going to do?
Do you see their hearts? Of course not! Only One can see hearts, and that is our Lord Jesus Christ.
And that is the point of this article. The Lord has laid it on my heart, so to speak, to expound on this matter.
While you can only surmise people's reactions, the Lord knows!
You may not be speaking to this hypothetical crowd en masse, but we all deal with crowds at one time or another. And realize that the nature of crowds sometimes will evoke the "herd" mentality, in that while it is relatively easy to lead a group to a particular action, it might be next to impossible with just one or two.
People in a crowd find it easy to adopt a "monkey see/monkey do" attitude. And if a very verbal minority gets going, they can quickly turn the mood of the crowd into an excited, enthusiastic bunch eager to hear more . . . or they can just as easily turn the tide against you, and that's why it's so easy to induce riots.
On the other hand, when you deal with people one-on-one or two, they seem to think more for themselves and assert their individuality.
But if you are with two people, and those two people agree to disagree with you, they become adamant and find strength and reaffirmation in siding against you.
It used to be easy to bamboozle people and sway them to your way of thinking. Today it is a lot harder to do that, because as a whole, people are a lot more sophisticated and well informed in this technological age, which seems to have resulted in their having developed a sort of intuitive radar. It's even evident in our children, right down to those of tender age.
When I talk with my grandchildren, it is quite evident that there is a large degree of cynicism present, in that they very quickly tend to question what adults say. Children used to be very trusting, but not so anymore!
So trust these days, in many cases, must be earned. You have to first connect on a certain level and maintain that connection for awhile before what you say is given much credibility. We all need to keep that in mind when we are trying to be persuasive, and it really doesn't matter if it's family, friends, or strangers we're trying to persuade.
Family and friends may trust you to a point, depending on the ages involved, but even they may be wary of the source of your information or your motives.
So, however pure in heart you may be, other people's perception of you almost certainly will not see that purity the way the Lord does.
The writer spent her early years in the legal arena and the last 23 years in property management. She has been an avid Bible student since 1987 and became an online publisher in 2001. She still publishes her bi-weekly ezine, 'elf Expressions Ezine, a collection of positive tips, hints, and advice offered with humor, inspiration, and other goodies for anyone who is inclined to read. The emphasis these days is on the finer points of Christianity. Guidance, mentoring, inspiration, English lessons, editing, and proofreading services for entrepreneurs and online marketers are also offered. Subscribe if you like at http://www.elfexpressionsezine.com.