Yes, I know half of my posts begin with "I know I haven't posted in a while. . ." so I'll do my best to skip that and avoid being redundant.
School is still crazy right now. The end of 2nd semester Junior year is something I'm glad I'll never have to do again. Between having recurring nightmares about failing AP Psych (actually, I have a 'B' and will end up with one) and cramming for End of Course Tests that are 15% of our grades and then 10% finals on top of that I'm pretty stressed. Especially when so many of my teachers seem to be trying to waste our time with busy work/test prep. It feels like we are just going through motions to appease the state of Georgia.
Today though, there was a bright spot. During one of my busy work-learn nothing classes, one of the school administrators came in. Somehow, someway half of the class ended up having a very involved conversation with him. The other half of the class slept, but that's their loss. We talked about everything from the theory of evolution to Bible study classes in public school. We talked about the fuel crisis and how we might solve it, about taxes and tax cuts, Reaganomics, speed limits, Hitler, school re-districting, self-actualization/Maslow, whether or not we should give out grades to students, the attendance policy, both Bushs, Clinton, King Cotton economy, Darfur, and the attendance policy. In short about 8 of us students and he spent a good almost hour and a half in lively discussion. Not only did we actually learn something and feel engaged, we spent time with some one that we've never spent time with before. It really impressed us that some one that "important" just shot the breeze with us for that amount of time and took us seriously. I guarantee you that all of us who where there today that were involved will remember it for a long time to come. . .
And here's the tie in, I know you've been waiting with great expectation. Or not. But, I'll tell you anyway. I wonder what it would be like if the church was like that? I wonder what it would be like if we would take the time to actually sit down -- or stand around -- and talk about things. I wonder what it would be like if we really took time for one another when we really don't think we've got that time to spare. I think we as a people are a little too stingy with our time; with think we know what we're supposed to be doing with it. But what if we in actuality are passing what we're supposed to be doing by?
What sort of positive impact can we have on people if we truly meet them where they are and take time with them?
I don't know. . . Kinda makes you grin though, don't it?
Funny thing. I was thinking something like this last week. Like, why is it when I finally have some time to call someone and talk to them, they usually dont sound like "now is a good time". May have something to do with the old "selfishness" problem. We want to talk to people when "we" want to talk to them, and not when they need us to listen. Case in point: I called Scott, our YoungLife Area Director, the other day, just to check in with him and see how he is doing. Instantly I could tell that he was preoccupied with some family task at home (was I expecting otherwise?). I cut the conversation short. Then, about 10:30 pm, as I was coming home with the kids from some scheduled acctivity, Scott calls on my cell. I am happy to report that even though it was poor timing for me, I stuck to the task and stood in the dark on my front porch (my own kids coming out to check on me 3 or 4 times), yet I feel I was as attentive to our conversation as I possibly could be.
This, I think, is our challenge as Christians. To esentially be alert to the possibility that "now" is the moment when we should make ourselves "sacrificially" available to others - to listen to their stories - to be available for their interruptions our our sacred lives.
Posted by: kevin | May 01, 2006 at 09:24 AM