A Positive Approach
I am writing to all of you in Rome who are loved by God and are called to be his own holy people. May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace. Let me say first that I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith in him is being talked about all over the world. God knows how often I pray for you. Day and night I bring you and your needs in prayer to God, whom I serve with all my heart by spreading the Good News about his Son. One of the things I always pray for is the opportunity, God willing, to come at last to see you. For I long to visit you so I can bring you some spiritual gift that will help you grow strong in the Lord. When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours. Romans 1:7-12 (New Living Translation, NLT)
And I am sure that when I come, Christ will richly bless our time together. Dear brothers and sisters, I urge you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to join in my struggle by praying to God for me. Do this because of your love for me, given to you by the Holy Spirit. Pray that I will be rescued from those in Judea who refuse to obey God. Pray also that the believers there will be willing to accept the donation I am taking to Jerusalem. Then, by the will of God, I will be able to come to you with a joyful heart, and we will be an encouragement to each other. And now may God, who gives us his peace, be with you all. Amen. Romans 15:29-33 (New Living Translation, NLT)
How do we approach people, talk to them, and visit with them? Do we greet them in peace, love, joy? When we first see them do we build them up or tear them down? Do we act happy to see them or do we act like we dreaded seeing them? Consider the tone of Paul’s words to the Romans above. Love and warmth fill his sentences. Is that how we are towards others?
The way we start things off with someone can establish the tone for the rest of our time with them. And if we are going to be around them for an extended period of time, it can make or break the entire day. Whether it is friends, family, co-workers, neighbors, or new acquaintances, do your best to make it a pleasurable, enjoyable, and memorable encounter.
The goal is to leave people better off than when you found them. Deposit and impart into others instead of making them feel drained or irritated. Minister peace, not stress, to them. This includes our interactions online as well as in-person. Speak words of life to them and over them. The next time they meet up with you, they’ll be glad to see you. Learn to build on the previous good encounter. When we approach every relationship with positive intentions, we will all be pleased with the outcome.
