Our racquet ball game was scheduled at the unholy hour of 7 am on a Sunday. In hindsight, I have no idea why. I do not know why we needed to book a court at this hour. I cannot imagine why I would agree. For reasons unknown, it made sense to me at the time. Two friends doing something others considered crazy.
It wasn’t the first time or the last that the story repeated. On the surface, one might suspect that the defining criteria were friends and crazy something. Both are criteria yet this was the first time I can recall where there was an additional element that has repeated itself. On this morning, I recall that I was barely awake. Despite the time and state of being, we had an honest conversation.
I find it is a pattern that has repeated itself. Sometimes I am on the receiving end. On other occasions, I have the challenge of trying to share something important, even if it hurts the other. I was reminded in a recent conversation of the value I share with a friend. It was a light-hearted conversation that was also serious.
On occasion, the reminders need to take us into a dark place. We are not the first to go there. Among friends of a bygone age, their conversation contained a link to a story of their forefathers. In this case, the reminder came with a harsh reality. “We must not be sexually promiscuous—they paid for that, remember, with 23,000 deaths in one day!” (1 Corinthians 10.8)
Reminders are gifts we would do well to treasure. While they come if we are open, they frequently need to be wrapped in a trusted conversation.
Reminders may not be new, yet the timing of their reappearance is often fortuitous. When we least expect yet most often need, Life chooses to remind.
Reminders live and gain strength as they are put to use. We cannot always predict the directions reminders take us. As catalyst for change, it is the process of living with the tightest link.
