Leave God Out Of The Conversation

Don’t bring God into the conversation. If God resides in your heart, they will know. Speaking of God in many cases, will turn people away. As a former Chaplain, I rarely spoke of God. I found that more people would be willing to break down the walls of their trauma and pain, when God was not introduced into the conversation. Do I believe in God? Yes! And if your ask is sincere, I will gladly share my experiences. But its been a long time since I felt to scream it at the top of my lungs.

I get it. God is extremely personal for many. And they should celebrate that. I am just in a place both personally and professionally, not to lead with God. If it comes up organically, sure. Out of the gate, it’s not going to happen.

I recall I was on a call with a connection from Linkedin. This was our second time speaking. Our first call was beautiful and warranted another call to continue the discussion. Within minutes she asked if I believed in God. It quickly went into that her belief was the only belief and that I was going to Hell. She lost me. Not only as a friend, but as a possible business partner. See what I am getting at? I was not offended by her faith. But it seemed that my faith offended her.

The things that we hold dear to our core, will shine without any words being spoken. I use this example often. If I met you at a networking event or casual dinner through a mutual friend, you would probably take away these 3 things about me, without me having to talk about them. One, that I am married, I am beyond in love with my wife. Two, that I work in some capacity in the helping profession. And three, there is a stillness inside of me that comes across as peaceful. And while I write about these extensively, I don’t feel the need to share it in casual conversation. Again if asked, sure. But those things simply exude the very fiber of my being.

When asked years ago {while acting as a Chaplain} why I didn’t speak of God. I said, “God can speak for God. I would only give the version of God that I am familiar with.” Besides, if my actions don’t show I operate from a place of compassion, me speaking of God would hold little to no merit anyway.