Culled from Workplace Grace: Becoming a Spiritual Influence at Work
“Dave and I hit it off during a business negotiation. Over time, Barb (my wife) and I became close friends with Dave and his wife, Ann. We spent time together carpooling kids and watching soccer games. Barb and Ann led our daughters’ scout troop.
Dave and Ann were not believers, and they had encountered more than a few aggressive, hypocritical Christians, which made Dave wary. But the more we got to know each other, the more my faith seemed to intrigue him.
After a year, over lunch I told Dave how I came to believe in Christ. He listened with interest and asked questions. Eventually, he and Ann accepted an invitation to attend a Bible study at our home. Ann told Barb that she was interested in a personal relationship with Jesus, but she didn’t want to take this step without Dave.
For months, I communicated the gospel to Dave in every way I knew. Yet in spite of all my efforts, Dave’s heart seemed impenetrable, and I became discouraged.
I met with my spiritual mentor and recounted my frustration. In response, he asked me two tough questions.
“Wait, do you really care about these people, or are they just a project?”
Embarrassed, I had to admit that persuading them to make a decision to trust Jesus had become more important than being a friend.
“How often do you and Barb pray for Dave and Ann?”
I hung my head. “I really don’t pray for them very much at all.”
He reminded me that Dave and Ann faced the toughest, most important decision of their lives – and that praying for them would do more than all our efforts. So Barb and I began to pray every day for Dave and Ann as we continued to cultivate, plant, and love them.
Almost seven years after our friendship began, God answered our prayers. Dave and Ann both decided to become followers of Jesus.” – Walt Larimore
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