It was the wee hours of the morning and I was just about to shut out the light for the night when I was startled by the chirping of the phone in Messenger. I was about to decline the call when I saw the name of one of the ones that I love in Thailand. It was too late and I had a morning appointment looming, but the next 40 minutes were a pure joy. To listen, to laugh, to encourage. These are the moments when God whispers…. “yes, this.”
This afternoon, I heard it again. I sat down with one of the ones I love here. It had been a few months of quiet from him as well. Sometimes I think conversations need to settle in a bit before we can take them to the next level. Last week he texted and asked if we could get together. I wasn’t quite sure where the dialogue would take us, but I prayed on my way there that God would let me hear what I needed to hear.
There were three of us around the table. We ate. I asked questions. And we laughed. I am thankful that laughter always tags along. It loosens the lock for the things to come. During a lull in the conversation, I heard it. The door creaking as it began to open. I didn’t have to beat on it. I just had to BE…and wait. As they began to share some of their hurts, and sorrow, and angst at this crazy difficult world we live in I realized that I was sitting in a special place, a secret place. It is a place to which you must be invited. You don’t just barge in. A shaft of light spilled across the floor through the opening door, turning the moment into something a bit more sacred.
It is hard to express all of what I do in my job. But this is a part of it. I am sort of like a bridge between the dreams kids have when they are young and the sting they feel when they begin to grow up and reality slaps them in the face. I am here to remind them that while life isn’t always kind, God still loves them. And He still cares about their dreams. And the doors that open might lead somewhere even better than their wildest dreams. All they need to do is just be still and listen so they know when it is open.