Are You Willing to Keep Your Schedule Open?
A leper came to him and begged him on his knees, "If you are willing, you can make me clean." Jesus was indignant. He reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed.
Mark 1:40-42
Have you ever tried to connect with a leader and got no response? At the same time, have you seen that same leader reach out to you when it benefited them? In a culture where we let our schedules drive our relationships, we can easily define and maintain relationships based on our own interests. A selfless leader keeps his schedule, or availability, open. Being approachable means caring about the needs and desires of others, not just our own.
Once, two leaders traveled together overseas. They were both speaking at the same conference and, according to both of them, they had a great time together. When they got back home, one of the leaders decided to reconnect with the other. After several attempts, he assumed something must have happened and decided to give up. A few months later, the conference planning team wrote to the leader who had tried so many times to reconnect, sending photos of them speaking at the conference and information about the other leader's book. Then a fascinating "miracle" happened. In less than a minute, the unavailable leader connected with the other leader. We don't know exactly why this happened, but it is a great example of what can happen when our own interests are our top priority. If it benefits me, I respond; if not, my schedule is full. Sorry, I'm too busy building my own projects to serve you.
In Mark 1:40-41, Jesus teaches a powerful lesson about keeping an open schedule. In verse 38, Jesus states his mission: preach! On his way to the next place, he responds to a leper's cry for healing by saying, "I am willing." What a lesson from a selfless leader! A Christ-centered leader is always willing to keep his schedule open to serve existing relationships and build new ones.
How have you been handling your schedule? Is it always full? Do you have time to take a call, reply to a text, or answer an email from a friend?
Are you willing to keep your schedule open?