We had not caught up in more than a decade. One always wonders what friends will be like after that long of a period. Have they changed in ways that break the mysterious link that makes all friendships work? Has life turned him or her into something that you do not recognize? Is your perception of what they are now enough to sustain the friendship or tear the lingering connection?
A lot has happened. Everyone has aged and struggled with the changes that have come with time. Our children are now young adults. They, and we, are facing a world that is very different than we imagined. In my memories, we always talked about life. We explored what mattered to us, individually and as a group. We did not always agree. Yet, we always came away richer for the conversation.
The great news is that we continue to share far more in common than what separates us. We have struggled with similar paths and experiences. We have worried about the future, especially for our children. We have wrestled with life, not always coming through without lingering injuries. Our renewed conversations continued to be about life. We rediscovered our willingness to trust. We embraced the exploration of what we know and that which we fear. We wondered beyond our fences.
As I think about our conversation, I am reminded how others have struggled with trust. In one situation, “some Jews from Antioch and Iconium caught up with them and turned the fickle crowd against them.” (Acts 14.19) The trust present in the past was no longer alive. In our situations, we have heard the fear mongers and doubters. We have struggled to come to terms with conflicting information. We have refused to let their fears dictate our view.
I think this is a good thing. God works and thrives in our doubts and questioning. God is alive in our conversations. God needs the edges as a way of pushing us towards something greater. I rediscover that God also needs our dialogue, especially with each other.
