Top o’ the Mornin’ to Ya!
TLDR: In this heart-to-heart message, I share a personal experience about reaching out to connect with someone who responded defensively, teaching Christian leaders valuable lessons about not wasting energy on those who aren’t receptive. Instead, focus on finding the doors God has opened specifically for you and the people who genuinely want to connect, creating more space for meaningful Kingdom relationships.
What?
I’ve been reaching out to people on my contact list, offering to chat for 20-30 minutes just to connect and learn about them – their family, their work, their business. This creates what Jonathan Stark calls “Rolodex moments” – opportunities to connect people who could help each other. Recently, one guy responded very defensively, claiming my outreach seemed automated and commenting that my Facebook feed is just the same video every day. This caught me off guard, and initially, I felt defensive and offended. I spent too much mental energy worrying about his criticism instead of just moving on.
Why?
I’m sharing this because many of us waste precious energy trying to connect with people who simply aren’t interested. When we focus too much on those closed doors, we miss the open ones where God has placed people who actually want to connect with us. This reminds me of baseball as a kid – I was so focused on getting a nearly impossible batting average that I missed enjoying the game itself. Similarly, we can become so fixated on reaching everyone that we miss connecting with those who are genuinely interested.
Lesson
If people aren’t paying attention, don’t fight for it. There are billions of people in this world – plenty to give you connection, relationship, friendship, and market opportunities. I remember what I learned from a tutorial I listened to yesterday – when negative thoughts or emotions arise, acknowledge them for one second, then shift to the positive response. God put a million doors in this world because some of them aren’t for me, and some of them aren’t for you. Focus your energy on finding the ones meant for you.
Apply
Take a moment to write down a time when you spent too much energy trying to get someone to like you or trying to connect with someone who just wasn’t meant for you. Then consciously release that situation and redirect your focus toward the open doors and receptive people God has placed in your path. If you’ve watched this far, you’re one of those people for me – someone I can genuinely help and connect with.
You be blessed.
Find Your People Why You Shouldn’t Waste Energy on Those Who Don’t Want to Connect
