Never Too Busy

The first time I met author Bob Goff was at a Catalyst event in Dallas. After a few minutes of chatting, his phone rang.

He said, “Hello! Who is this? Hi, Josh!” (he consistently speaks with exclamation points).

Josh was just someone who read his book and wanted to talk. So Bob set up a time to talk with him further.

Bob Goff says in Love Does, “The people who have had the most influence on my life have been the ones who have been available to talk.”

So he gives out his cell phone number in the book.  And he invites anyone to call him if they would like to have a conversation.

Bob’s a busy guy running a huge law firm. He speaks around the country. He is the Consul for the Republic of Uganda to the United States. He’s a professor at Pepperdine and Point Loma. He is a very successful author. But he doesn’t let his schedule get in the way of relationships.

I’ve been struck by Bob’s example. It reminds me how difficult it is to be available. If I’m honest with myself, it’s far more likely that:

–        I’m focused on “getting things done” than loving people well. 

–        I’m preoccupied with my schedule and miss spontaneous opportunities for service. 

–        I emphasize achievement and forget about relationships.

I want to be more like Bob, because I think Bob lives like Jesus.

When Jesus was on his way to heal the daughter of Jairus—an important leader—he stopped to heal a woman who was bleeding (Luke 8:40-54). Leaving Jericho with a large crowd, “Jesus stopped.” A blind beggar had called out to him. He gave the blind man sight (Mark 10:49-52). When John the Baptist died, Jesus went off by himself by boat to mourn. But the crowds followed him. Even in his grief, he had “compassion on them.” That’s when he performed the miracle of feeding the 5,000 (Matthew 14:1-21).

Jesus was available to those around him. He was willing to be interrupted. And he focused on loving the people right in front of him.

What does this look like practically? Personally, I believe the small steps worth taking include:

– Asking “How are you” in the break room and then staying to really hear the answer.

– Caring less about an empty email inbox and focusing more on the people right in front of me. 

– Doing less, and delegating more so that I have some space and margin to lovingly respond to others.

As Goff said, faith is just being available to love God and others.

What are things that help you be more available to others?