“Have you…?”
A friend is one that asks you a question that you realize you need to think about or consider, but have not. I have several friends that use their view that is very different from mine as a foundation for asking me questions that I would otherwise never consider. There is one that has done it for more than a decade. His consistency has been so strong across the years that now I hear his voice without even needing to talk with him! I think of him and zing! I hear questions that I never thought of asking.
As I opened an email, a compliment was laced with an observation and question. Have you…
I hesitated as I thought about it. It would have been easy to flippantly answer yes and give some excuse as to why things had not progressed. The challenge is that I faintly recall the question coming up and responding without thinking. I had missed the observation then as well as the question.
“No, I have not put any real thought to the question. In hindsight, I should have. I will now.”
It is easy to run life on autopilot. The alternative creates moments of awkward silence and questions demanding an answer. Even though I am energized by silence, I do not always look for it. When I do stop, God’s voice is there. An old observation triggers a series of questions. “Now in a single victorious stroke of Life, all three—sin, guilt, death—are gone, the gift of our Master, Jesus Christ. Thank God!” (1 Corinthians 15.57)
Am I willing to let go of guilt and simply learn?
Will I accept the gift of forgiveness? If so, does this include forgiving myself?
What am I going to do with my freedom?
I close my eyes and I hear those that I call friends speaking. I see what I have not been able to see. I imagine what I could never imagine. The voices are not always easy to hear. When I hear and respond, I am richer. Thank-you.
