Relational Skills Aren't Just for My Benefit

This past weekend I was in line at Wendy’s for a quick lunch and I noticed the cashier was looking a bit frazzled. I heard her speaking to the person in front of me and she sounded angry and gruff.
My first thought was, “Yikes, someone is in a bad mood!”. But almost instantly in response, I felt a surge of compassion well up inside of me.
You see, as my Immanuel Lifestyle has grown, I’ve noticed that sometimes I am able to sense Jesus’ reaction to people almost as quickly as my own weak reaction.  I’ve spent enough time letting Jesus respond to my own weaknesses, that I’ve begun to recognize how he responds to the weaknesses of those around me as well.
His grace and compassion poured into my heart over my own faults and failures have a twin when it comes to those around me as well.
For years I’ve worked the information about joy and the brain that I’ve learned from Life Model Works for myself- and it’s becoming something I also share naturally with others as well.
I might not be explaining what I know, but I do demonstrate it!
In this case- I simply engaged the cashier in conversation beyond that of just placing my order. I started by complimenting her eye shadow. In response, she looked up from the register and made eye contact with me. I felt glad to be with her- the compassionate response Jesus showed me had become my own. She smiled in reaction to my smile and I noticed that she visibly relaxed a little. While she got my drinks, she told me that she had a really bad headache. Her voice wasn’t angry and gruff any longer, instead it was soft and gentle. She talked about how she had sat for hours getting her hair braided that morning before work, and was regretting that decision now.
As she shared, I felt her dismay and synchronized with her.
A simple, “Oh wow, I bet that really hurts!” and later a compliment at how pretty her braids were, was all that it took for her to not feel alone and miserable in her current situation.
This short interaction with a stranger is just one example of utilizing the relational skills I’ve learned from Life Model Works. I shared joy- I was glad to be with her. I helped her return to joy from anger. I saw what God saw.
I love that I don’t have to wait to share joy and demonstrate other Relational Skills just with my closest friends and family. I can use them wherever I go and have an impact on the world around me.
Joy isn’t just for me, it’s for the people–all the people–that I am with. When I am glad to be with someone, changes happen in both of our brains!
My joy spreads to the people I’m making eye contact with. When I’m glad to be with someone, (because of seeing what God sees) even someone I don’t know, my eye tells their eye to tell their brain and dopamine is released automatically. It’s an amazing thing for BOTH of us!
Relational Skills enable me to be best type of witness to the world around me. Naturally.
How are you sharing the relational skills you’re learning from Life Model Works?