She likes me
Thursday
I am chatting with my co-worker and she notices that I’m in the middle of editing Jess’s resume. “Man,” my co-worker says, “Jess really likes you.”
Hu? Jess is a lesbian. And a liberal. And very outspoken about both. I am a fairly conservative Christian, and the two of us rarely interact. But, for some reason, she likes me. That doesn’t seem like it’s supposed to happen. The Christians are supposed to like me. The straight men are supposed to want to be around me. She’s supposed to speak highly of the other liberals and lesbians. Right? Though she has every reason to have a wall against me, she doesn’t.
I’m chatting with my wife about this and it occurs to me that this isn’t rocket science and most people have probably stopped reading by now because it’s so obvious. Jess likes me because I like her. Legitimately and sincerely, I really like Jess. When I interact with her I see a gifted and caring professional, an intelligent and articulate human being, and someone I truly enjoy being with.
People tend to like people that like them. I’m not sure it’s all that spiritual to like people that aren’t religious or who the church doesn’t welcome with open arms. But I am sure that acceptance is the first step to influence.
Jess showed up to a presentation I did a couple weeks ago about regret. She took notes and followed-up afterward. I think I have a voice in her life. I think she knows I care about her. I do, but not with a weird motive or hidden agenda.
I haven’t done a whole lot of ground-breaking relationship building with Jess, or with the “lesbian community”. I don’t do presentations or write articles about bringing the Christian and gay community together. I just like her.
