Cluj is filled with shadows. The hidden ones which are usually seen first. Dictators, communist, and selfish rulers have extracted a price in a melting pot community of two distinct characters. Even within the memories of my lifetime, there are personal examples of the evil we can do to each other, especially in times of fear and uncertainty.
It was only on my fourth day in Cluj that I realized I was in a reality often told from the shadows. Street lights were soft and side streets had more darkness than light. As we came back from dinner last night well into the darkness, most of the streets were deserted. As much as I thought it would be haunting, it felt welcoming.
As I looked closer, I found myself reflecting on the occasional family walking to what I imagined as home. At the front were mom and dad, often hand in hand, more casual than intentional in their stride. Behind them, with a freedom which comes with that age, were young children, laughing, playing a game of tag in and out of the shadows.
After the third and fourth family repeating the scene, I asked my host if crime was a problem. In his swift affirmation of limited crime and the illustration that I could walk any street of the city without fear, I found myself seeing the shadows of this city differently.
It felt as if the community had reached out to Divinity in a psalmist prayer, “protect me from their evil scheming, from all their demonic subterfuge.” (Psalm 141.9). Things did not stop there, they put their prayer into action. In the testimony of the families, I was seeing the ultimate outcome of their commitment.
I hear an open invitation. Invite help from beyond oneself and act on trust it will always be here. Live in and with the values of community, love, and hope because the memory of what life is like without these things is still fresh. Bring everything together in harmony, enjoying the outcomes while remaining on guard against the enemies.
