dana-pt. 1

he seemed really out of place, being shorter than me (which is very short) with bright red hair. he stood out in the crowd. not to mention, he walked through the doors of Blessings Christian Marketplace in torn jeans and a dirty old jean jacket wearing work gloves. he looked to me like he was looking for Home Hardware and took a wrong turn.

i noticed him not only for his appearance, though. he didn't take more than 5 steps into the store before i made eye contact with him. he walked straight over to me. we made small talk, and i didn't think much of it. and then he said goodbye and left, never having looked at anything in the store. i thought him a little odd, but enjoyed meeting someone different than the rest of the christian clones who came through the door. who am i kidding...i was one of the christian clones. he came again the next day, and in similar fashion walked straight to the front counter to strike up a chat. i asked if he wanted coffee, and he did, so i went and got him a cup from the back room. he liked it black. i enjoyed meeting new and interesting people, and he was certainly unique. he gave me his business card, which was actually his boss' business card with his name scribbled underneath his boss'. dana was a tree trimmer. he had no wife or children, and his dad lived right across the street. he had an ex-wife. i don't remember much of what we talked about at first. unimportant things, introduction things, i'm sure. he left again, saying he would stop by again sometime. i began to feel excited about this strange friendship. he was about 40 years old and i was only 22, but i felt a connection. we had nothing in common really. i was married, and he wasn't. he was a labourer, and i was in sales. he had life experience, and i was fresh and just figuring out what it meant to live on my own. but still, i felt like there was something important happening.

sure enough, dana showed up the next evening. he was different this time. jumpy. on edge. the store was busy, so i didn't have much time to chat. i told him i'd try and finish up quick and come see him. when things finally calmed down, i saw him walking out the door. he waved and said goodbye, and i could see him sweating uncomfortably, which was strange on a cold evening. i shrugged and went to help someone else. an elderly lady walked through the door telling me a thief was walking away with something in his coat. dana was the only person who had left.

where i've been

it was one of the most intense discussions of my life. it could change everything for the better if we all valued each other and were open to something new. it could destroy our close knit relationships if we decided to not hear each other out. the things we said now could have a significant impact on our relationships in the future. words were chosen carefully, but it was clear where everyone stood. bombshells were dropped, anger rose to the surface, tears were shed. we were standing on the precipice. one wrong step would hurt any chance we had of this meaning anything at all. one wrong step would hurt the people we loved the most. one wrong step...but that step never came. love prevailed.

we listened to each other. we cried together. while we were angry, it was always rooted in the knowledge that we loved each other very much. and we prayed together. rarely have i been a part of something that felt so significant. real christian fellowship. love for each other. intense disagreements. brought together by our one common goal. our Savior. if Jesus was not at the center of this conversation, we could not leave still loving each other. Jesus held us together despite our differences. and i am more and more convinced that this is a significant part of what real christian community looks like. crying together, praying together, loving each other, being angry with each other, being honest with each other, being connected to one another through God's love. too often, we are content with our shallow discourse. most importantly, it changed us. it made us re-evaluate why we believed what we did. it forced us all to not be content to just sit and be satisfied with where we were. we pushed each other forward. toward a better understanding of God. we pushed each other towards action. i am thankful for this conversation. the church needs more of these conversations.