Good morning…
“Hi there,” yesterday I texted a dear friend I have enjoyed quality time with for nearly thirty years. “I have our birthday season lunch on my calendar. What time do you want to meet at our special spot?”
“Argh,” she replied immediately, “was just going to write you. Spent five hours in Kaiser Urgent Care yesterday. They ran tests. Good news is that there is no abscess or perforation. Just a ‘normal’ bout. Am on meds but still in pain, so need to reschedule. I am not a happy camper!”
“Oh I am so sorry,” I responded. “I hope the meds kick in and your pain subsides. We will reschedule when you are a happy camper again.”
“We will reschedule,” she concluded. “If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s how to do that.”
Like usual, I then went to our Tuesday morning therapeutic community group at PAWkids. Our time together was rich, and our discussion was life-giving. Because my scheduled lunch was canceled, I was able to hang out a bit after our group. In the unexpected spaciousness of “found time,” I meandered magically into a deep and memorable conversation.
On the surface, Mike and I appear very different. He is a man – I am a woman. He is black – I am white. He is divorced – I am married. He is a few years above sixty – I am one year below. He used to live on the streets – I have always lived in a home. He has battled an alcohol and drug addiction – I am a moderate drinker who has never done drugs. He grew up in the impoverished Grove Park neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia – I grew up in a middle class suburb of Cleveland, Ohio.
At our core human level, we are so much the same. We are both deeply loved children of God, unconditionally accepted. We each want to grow into the healed wholeness for which we are designed. Each of us are doing our daily best to stay rooted with God within our innermost being, each branching out a bit further as God grows us gradually.
How did a full hour mysteriously evaporate? We were lost in a heart-to-heart, human-to-human conversation. Stories of faithful mentors who have encouraged us along. Our strong emotions tied to the war in Ukraine. A muddled mixture of memories from childhood. Deep gratitude for God’s saving grace. What an amazing gift to share uninterrupted time with my soulful friend.
“This is what it feels like to be a brother and a sister in Christ,” Mike said as he walked me out to my car. “I love you, Susie-Q!”
Fast forward to now. As I woke for the first time just after 1:00 am on my 59th birthday, I got out of bed and checked my phone. “Roses are red violets are blue with many happy birthdays to my sister in Christ Sue.” Mike had texted me at 12:02 am.
What a joyful way to begin my 59th birthday!
Now I will climb back into bed for my second sleep. When waking again to begin my day, I will text Mike our blog post, expressing my gratitude for God’s sweet gift of unscheduled time and the mutual blessing of our budding friendship.
If anyone boasts, “I love God,” and goes right on hating his brother or sister, thinking nothing of it, he is a liar. If he won’t love the person he can see, how can he love the God he can’t see? The command we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people. You’ve got to love both (1 John 4:20-21, MSG).
…Sue…
