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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

Winning Without a Word: Works for Men, Too

by Chautona Havig · 3 Comments

What is this “winning without a word” thing?  Let me set the scene.  1985.  Ninth grade.  Peniel Christian School. Noel, Missouri.

By the time we got to I Peter 3, it was May and getting pretty muggy every day.  Our school room was in the church basement, so it was fairly comfortable down there.  The first of the month came and we open our Bibles.  I Peter chapter 3.  We’d already  memorized all five chapters of James and the first two of I Peter.  We opened with chapter three.

In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives,

winning without a word

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Yeah. That one.

The words, if you want the raw truth, meant nothing to me.  Seriously, I memorized them, recited them to get my credit for it, and moved on to prepositions and algebra.  I wasn’t married, had no intention of ever being married, and in my fourteen-year-old arrogance, I figured my behavior was probably pretty good by that point.  Mom and Dad insisted on it.

But then I did get married.  And one day that verse came to mind.  So, I sat down with my trusty Bible and reread it.  Suddenly, I had new and startling things to consider.  So… if my husband became “disobedient to the Word,” I could win him over to the Lord’s will again without words?  My one good “tool” and I’m not supposed to use it?  EEEP!

Look, I’m not here to argue relational hierarchies or whether it’s okay for me to say, “Look, bub.  That’s wrong.”  I just wanted to give a bit of background before I share when this verse really kicked into overdrive for me.

What?  It wasn’t when I convinced my husband that living on a farm with geese….

Um, yeah.  No geese.  No farm.  And never tried.  But Biblical principles aren’t limited to the specific audience–always.  I mean, what if a man wanted to “win” over his best buddy–to make his pal “obedient to the Lord.”  Sure, he could just come out and say, “Look.  You can’t just ignore the Word of the Lord.  He says that every knee will bow, every tongue will confess, and they’ll do it to demonstrate that Jesus is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  You gotta obey!  You gotta yield to the Father!”

Yeah.  He could do that.  He might get himself slugged or lose a best buddy, but he could.  And really, sometimes he should.  But sometimes, we can win others over… you got it!  By our behavior.  It isn’t Scripture, and I don’t want to put it on par with Scripture, but someone (and it is often attributed to Francis of Assisi, but there’s no proof of that) said something that really does have a good place in our lives.  The saying goes, “Preach the gospel always.  If necessary, use words” (there are variations, of course).

Look, anyone who knows me knows that I have no problem “using my words” (although that phrase makes my teeth itch!).  But I’ve always striven to LIVE the gospel first, tell it later. I am a strong believer of overt evangelism, but people like me with our blunt, tell-it-like-it-is communication methods can be pretty… um… off-putting.

So, I try to live first, tell second.

And that’s what some of my characters do.  Hope in Discovering Hope lived her faith before Jay and made him curious.  Annie was drawn to the Lord first through the lives of the people in HearthLand.  And in Shattering Secrets, the reverse happens.  There is no time.  It’s speak the word NOW or lose the opportunity.  I think there’s room for all approaches.

Keith in Justified Means also used the “winning without a word” approach, I’d say.  He had kind of a rough start with it.  After all, it’s not very “winsome” to kidnap someone and hold her against her will.  That tends to be even more off-putting than “ramming Jesus down someone’s throat” the first time you meet him.

Of course, he had no way of knowing the far-reaching effects of his decision to show Jesus before telling of the One who died for her.

You know, I have gotten a few emails over the years–emails that said things like, “the Lord used your writing to draw me back to Him” and “I never understood that people really do live their faith until I read what your characters do.”  Through fiction, I “win” with lots of words, but my characters often strive to do it without them.

Have you ever discovered that your actions spoke louder than words in this area?

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Comments

  1. Brenda Murphree says

    September 9, 2016 at 11:22 am

    Without words is such a great way to win people. Charity being love in action wins people more times than words. A great article.

    Reply
  2. Courtney says

    September 8, 2016 at 7:24 am

    I’m not willing to share details on the blog, but yes, I have been able to impact my husband’s relationship with the Lord without words through a very difficult situation. Believe me, I had lots of words I wanted to use! But God kept my mouth closed and deepened my relationship with him in a way that spoke to my husband.

    Reply
    • Chautona Havig says

      September 8, 2016 at 6:42 pm

      That is beautiful! Thanks for sharing!

      Reply

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The Because Fiction Podcast

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Episode 480: A Chat with Tracie Peterson
byChautona Havig

 A chat with Tracie Peterson is always a treat, and this was no exception. Listen in as we talk about A Moment to Love, the last in the Hope of Cheyenne series. 

note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

I’ve been loving what Tracie is doing in this Cheyene series, but something about this book really hit home. I think the themes of revenge for heinous crimes and the indignity of our work being stolen are things we relate to whether it’s the 19th or the 21st century.

Also, don’t miss out on her Christmas novella collection with Karen Witemeyer and Misty M. Beller, On a Midnight Clear. 

A Moment to Love  by Tracie Peterson

A shared heart for justice pulls them together, but is their love strong enough to survive their trials? Dr. Carrie Vogel’s heart is shattered when her groundbreaking medical research is stolen and falsely credited to her ex-fiancé. With years of diligent work lost, she grapples with the disastrous turn of her career and leans on her faith for strength. When she learns that her Pinkerton friend Spencer Duval is on a justice-driven mission to her hometown of Cheyenne, she agrees to an arranged marriage to provide him with a cover story. But merely pretending to be in love with Spencer becomes increasingly difficult the more time she spends with him. Spencer is determined to apprehend the ruthless murderer who killed his father years ago, but his quest ignites unexpected emotions–both for Carrie and about the desire for revenge that has dominated his life. As the web of suspects tightens, their futures hang in the balance, and they must learn to trust God’s plan as unexpected love takes flight. Return to Cheyenne, Wyoming, with bestselling author Tracie Peterson for a journey of healing and forgiveness in this exquisite western frontier romance that will appeal to readers of faith-filled stories and When Calls the Heart.

Don’t forget that you can get this and her other books at 30-40% off with FREE US shipping from Bakerbookhouse.com

Learn more about Tracie Peterson on her WEBSITE. Follow her on BookBub and GoodReads.

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