As I walked into the club I realized there was something comfortingly familiar although I was absolutely sure I had never been in this building. Even as I look back now, I am cannot see a trigger in the layout, décor, or initial people that I met. The additional insight that the members had recently remodeled the place did not help. It should have had a new strangeness to it however it was anything but.
As I sat down to lunch with the individuals who had asked me to join them, I began to see the invisible connections that bound us to a common cause. Everyone around the table had an aspiration to make a difference. The personal and shared goal was ongoing. The will to strive and not to yield, the willingness to learn and grow, the conviction that we can make a difference in the communities we touch. Although I came in feeling the pressures of corporate politics and deliverables, as we talked I found myself renewed from within.
It was interesting to note that there were almost as many cultures as there were individuals around the table. This was a diverse group. In the course of an extended conversation over lunch, I expected at least one moment of tension. If there was, I missed it. Different perspectives were discussed and inquiring questions of clarification asked. It was hard to predict the direction of the conversation because insight from one lead to questions and insights by another.
I came to appreciate that diversity and different viewpoints does not exclude shared values. Using different words and metaphors, the principles and values they shared came through in expression and feeling. As I struggled to find a way of describing the group, I remembered an old David description; “Princes from all over are gathered, people of Abraham’s God. The powers of earth are God’s – he soars over all.” (Psalm 47.9)
I do not know if we will meet again. I hope so. It is good to walk with others, sharing principles, wanting to make a difference.
