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Have you heard of the 3 A's of human behavior?
The 3 A's are Approach, Attach, and Avoid. When we feel safe and engaged in collaborative activities we enter into Approach behaviors. The other two behaviors occur when we are in the fight/flight stress reaction; we either Attack or Avoid.
When I read the gospels, I see the 3 A's as people seek out Jesus. When people, who were aware that they needed healing Approached Jesus, he engaged them with interest and they experienced health and salvation in his presence. The key was that they were open and sought his help.
Other people, namely Pharisees and Sadducees sought out the Lord, their purpose was to make a point, their point, in order to win an argument. Matthew 16:1 states, "The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him..." This is Attack. Later, they would Avoid Jesus as Matthew 26:3 describes, "Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name is Caiaphas..."
In our own lives, we are no strangers to the 3 A's. Whenever we are out to make our point, we stray into Attack or Avoid and tend to miss each other. But when we are open and want to ask for help or offer help, we practice Approach.
Jesus shows us the better way to relate to each other through Approach behaviors. Be open, curious, engaged, and interested when others approach. They just might see Jesus through your behavior toward them!
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