Over the years, my kids have had vocabulary assignments where they’ve needed to write an antonym for each word on a list. When my kids were in first and second grade, the antonyms were pretty obvious. The opposite of “happy” is “sad”. The opposite of “up” is “down”. Easy peasy. We got this, kid. (Insert fist-bump here).

But now my kids are teenagers, and the word lists are more complicated. What’s the antonym for “infamous” or “rancorous”?  Or maybe “technique” or “squander”? (It kills me when they want an antonym for a noun. Insert eye-roll here).

Okay, what about the word “aloof” – what’s the antonym? I have an unexpected suggestion for that one. Jesus is the opposite of aloof. His name is literally what I would suggest if the word showed up on a vocabulary antonym assignment.

It occurs to me that Jesus’ love and friendship with us is not like human friendship. It is never on shaky ground. It is not fickle, unpredictable or dismissive. It is not dependent on our performance, effort, or perfection.

Jesus’ mission on earth was “to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10), showing that he is not only accessible and available when we call out to him, but indeed he is often the seeker, the initiator of relationship. One of my favorite things about God is that HE PURSUES. And in so doing he sets a meaningful example for how we should relate to one another.

My father-in-law once endeavored to draw a downward facing arrow in the margins of his Bible whenever he came across an example of heaven/earth contact initiated by heaven. There were a LOT of down arrows! Here are a few examples from both the Old and New Testaments:

• God came looking for Adam and Eve after the fall. (Genesis 3:9)
• God initiated contact with Abraham (Genesis 15:1), Isaac (Genesis 26:2-5) and Jacob (Genesis 28:12-15) to announce and confirm his covenant with them.
• God sought Hagar after she fled (Genesis 16:7)
• God pursued Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3: 1-4)
• Jesus called the 12 disciples one by one (Matthew 10:1-4, Luke 6:12-16)
• Jesus initiated contact with a Samaritan woman (John 4:7-26)
• Jesus used the parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin (Luke 15:3-10) to demonstrate the pursuing nature of God
• Jesus reached out to a crippled beggar (John 5:6)
• Jesus pursued the blind man after he had been thrown out of the synagogue (John 9:35)
• Jesus went to Martha’s home, seemingly without invitation (Luke 10:38)
• Jesus noticed and healed a crippled woman in the synagogue (Luke 13:12)

There are MANY more examples – this is just a subset of the times when God takes the lead to reach out and connect with humankind. If you take the time to look up the verses above, you’ll find words like:

“…the Lord God called to the man…”

“…the word of the Lord came in a vision…”

“The Lord appeared…”

“God called to him…”

“The Lord found her…”

“…when Jesus found him he said…”

“…when Jesus saw her he called her forward…”

“…he chose them…”

These words stir my soul!

Perhaps the clearest example of God’s pursuit of us is when Jesus came to earth in the first place. Despite the depravity of the world – the sin and rebellion that should have repelled him – Jesus drew near to it. He gave the glory of heaven to become a helpless human baby, and to dwell among us…right here with us in the fray. Immanuel, God with us.

God himself as the pursuer…this is the antidote to every rejection I’ve ever felt. Especially when considering that he not only reaches out to those seeking him, but also those who have hurt or rejected him. I remember distinct times when God has called me out, spoken my name – even in my sin, apathy, or carelessness. I’m sure you have a similar story and could add your memories to the list above.

Maybe we just need to be reminded of that today. He loves us and pursues us. And therefore we carry his acceptance with us into every space we walk.

---

And to think that this is what we are to emulate in our own relationships.

Philippians 2:5 says:

“In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus”(NIV).

Wow, what a high standard! The way Jesus initiates contact and pursues people – I want to mimic that quality in my relationships. I aspire to be the friend who makes room for others, who takes initiative, who looks people in the eye and remembers their stories – their struggles, preferences, victories, and dreams.

Confession: I don’t do this naturally. It isn’t my default position to be available and interested. I have tunnel vision. I can be consumed with the narrative in my head and totally miss contact with the people around me. I’ve been confronted with my own tendencies to shut people out, and I’ve needed to apologize for it more times than I can count, even though I know what it’s like to be on the receiving end of such behavior (facepalm). I need divine help from the One who does this best, as evidenced in His word, to make space for people and draw them in. My prayer is that the Lord will help me to SEE people on a deeper level, giving space to the ones who want it, and pulling in close those who need more from me. 

I once read a blog that said offered an alternative to the idea of having “circles” of friends because circles are closed impenetrable figures. Rather we should have “U – shaped” groups of friends – open on the ends for new ones to join and feel like they are a part. I love that way of visualizing it! Perhaps this gets harder and harder the older we get, because many circles of friends have been well established and closed for years. But we can do it by relying on God to reflect his heart in ours – so that our relationships are mirrors of how he relates to us.

How has God pursued you?

Who can you reach out to today?

How can you open up a closed circle to invite someone in?

How can your relationships more accurately display the accessibility of God?

Feel free to share in the comments below!