A Yes Face (By Kyle Reynolds)

I read a fun story about Thomas Jefferson a few months ago.  The story goes that President Jefferson was riding with a group horseback when they came upon a flooded river.  There at the rivers edge was a wayfarer.  The wayfarer watched as some of Jefferson’s company rode by forging the river on their horses until the President came along.  The wayfarer asked the President for a ride across and Jefferson agreed.  On the other side of the river, one of Jefferson’s men asked the wayfarer why he chose the President for a ride across the river to which he responded,

“The President?  I didn’t know he was the President.  I just know that on certain men’s faces is written the word, ‘No.’ and on others is the word, ‘Yes.’  His was a Yes face.”

Isn’t that so true?  Have you ever wondered why you tell certain people your junk and others you just smile and nod?  I’m not talking about the safe, politically correct mistakes like swearing after stubbing our toe.  I’m speaking of those dark, ugly, “it’s all my fault” kind of mistakes. What specifically do we see in those that cause us to feel safe, accepted, and understood?  What does a “Yes face” look like?  What makes a person approachable?

What’s your reputation?

I’m realizing every human interaction I have moves me closer to or further from becoming an approachable person.  What you think is just a meaningless interaction could be the very thing that sticks out in the mind of a friend that is considering sharing with you.  Even the jokes we make about homosexuals, mormon’s, and mentally handicapped people are subtle ways we communicate our level of acceptance. 

This is why I first approached Jesus.  His reputation is irrefutable.  I kept reading story after beautiful story of how he touched a leper or forgave a prostitute.  These stories began building hope in my young search. 

“If you treated those people with such acceptance and love, maybe, just maybe Jesus, you will accept me as well?” 

So what’s your reputation?  How do you treat the woman who made your coffee or the friend that cheated on his wife?  What’s your response to the young man who bagged your groceries or the woman that’s coming out of the closet?  Because, like it or not, you’re building a reputation.

Humility

Last year, my wife and I hosted a couples group that met at our house.  It was a diverse group of couples with a variety of different spiritual beliefs and backgrounds.  My favorite couple were the Baxter’s.  The husband, Tom was an agnostic / Buddhist that remained very skeptical to Christianity.  Throughout the months we met, I was continually inspired and encouraged by the Baxter’s marriage.  They are really good at creating hobbies and friend groups they both enjoy.  This happened to be the very same thing my wife and I have always struggled with so we were able to learn from them.  Looking back, I think this humility to point out the good in their lives rather than slapping the “non-Christian” label on them was paramount to the Baxter’s coming to a faith in Jesus.  It tore down the “me vs. you” dynamic and leveled the playing field.  Instead of being disregarded, they were validated.  The dividing line between pastor and parishioner was blurred.  We became just people with our own individual weaknesses and strengths discovering God together. 

I notice this same humility in the story Jesus tells of the Good Samaritan.  Three people pass by an injured man but only the Samaritan stops to help.  Jesus purposely chose the Samaritan because in that culture this kind of person represented the outcast, marginalized, and even evil.  Yet, we know this story as the “Good Samaritan”.  Jesus does not seem bothered to point out the good in others different from us.  Jesus was unthreatened by the differences in others. Instead, he encouraged that which was true and right in the people around him.  It was stories just like this that spread grace to those uncertain seekers listening in.  A “yes face” broke through loud and clear.  Who are those around you with different beliefs or lifestyles you can point out the good in?  Perhaps the gay couple you disagree with has elements of their relationship healthier than yours?  What if the Muslim coworker in your life can teach you a stronger work ethic?  Recognizing the good takes humility.  It requires we stop staring at the line dividing our beliefs from theirs and put to rest our religious territorialism. 

Divine Distractions

We wear busyness like a badge of honor so I realize this might be a tough one.  Making margin in our lives can be a constant struggle.  However, I just can’t get past the fact that most of Jesus’ miracles did not come in the form of prearranged appointments, or strategically planned events.  Most of Jesus’ miracles came from distractions, interruptions, and even annoyances.  Instead of looking for those in need, most of them came running to His feet.  The needy must have known he wasn’t too busy for them.  They must have heard a rumor that this man would make time for even me.   

Listen, I know we all desperately want to be important and needed but what if our ambition has accidentally communicated the message, “I’m too busy for you.”  Who have you sent that message to lately?  When we talk to people, do they get our undivided attention or are we looking over their shoulder?  Do we get annoyed easily?  Are there people in our lives we treat like inconveniences?  We become more approachable as we allow God to divinely distract us.

Final Thoughts

I worry what kind of message the church is sending when pastors are treated like rock stars and we watch them on monitors from satellite campuses.  It seems as if some of us want our teachers to be untouchable.  But that is not Jesus.  He is wonderfully approachable.  He walked with friends for years.  He developed inside jokes and had dirt under his nails.  They watched him cry, get lonely, and lose his temper.  God didn’t just communicate the truth to this world, His Son became the truth and lived among us.  Finally, he spread his arms wide on a cross so that you and I could approach God and receive grace.  Jesus lived as a model of what an abundant life really looks like.  And I want that.  I want to live a full, rich life of meaningful relationships.  I want friends to see an active, under construction kind of faith.  I want to enter conversations teachable.  I want a reputation of grace.  I want to share a God that allowed even me to approach Him and be loved.  Care to join me?