on three separate conversations this week...the word "approachable" came up...and on these three separate conversations...i was told that what was loved about me...was that i was approachable...i have to say...it really warmed my heart to hear these words...because i always want to remain...approachable...
when i hear the word approachable...it makes me consider Christ...who had (and still has) the most amazing open-life policy...i can't think of anyone He cold-shouldered or refused entrance into His presence...
there were times He sidestepped trouble...and sometimes He sought out solitude...but generally speaking...the crowds freely sought Him out...some people left His presence rapidly when they didn't want to hear the truth...but all were given access to Him...
i have to admit...i often do not feel equipped to offer liberating solutions to people...but i have come to know...that i do not need to have all the answers to remain approachable...actually...people who have all the answers get on most folk's nerves...
this to me...is what makes one approachable...
a willingness to accept people where they are...until they can take the next step...that kind of willingness is usually born out of personal growth and the recognition that we are all cracked pots...God is not partial but extends Himself to all...
a willingness to listen...one who hears with her heart and answers when asked...i have to admit...this is a toughie for me because my answers often fly out before i've fully listened...that tendency makes me store up assumptions, opinions, and defensiveness...and being full of those things can be lethal to one's maturity as well as one's relationships...
a willingness to believe the best...not necessarily the best of people...but the best of God...who is at work in people's lives regardless how snarled the threads of their existence may seem...scripture tells us that the heart of humankind is desperately evil...but the plan of God is to give us a future and a hope...thank God for that hope! as approachable people...we can help others see God's best...
what it really boils down to...is people just want to be heard...and many times...they are not looking for words back...but an understanding and listening ear...to accept others, hear their heart, and believe God's best for them...this makes you approachable...
when i think of Jesus...and how He allowed the masses and the messes...they always left His presence new, whole, healed, heard, instructed, corrected, and gladdened...
how are folks after they have encountered you? i want people to leave feeling better then when they showed up...and as with many things...it is always a work in progress...
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