Meaningful Conversations
Proverbs 27:19
“As in water face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man.”
I’ve grown up in Texas. One of the things I love the most about this rugged land is the creeks that pop up in the spring and gurgle for a little while before the desert heat takes their laughter from them. There are few things much better than wading in one of these streams on a warm day, letting the minnows nip at my toes. Mostly, I am fascinated by the way that I can bend down and see my reflection in the water. It truly mesmerizes me that I can see myself in something else outside of myself. I sit in childish wonder making faces, rippling the water… but still the reflection remains. I often find the same wonder in a coffee shop, the steps of a front porch, or a dining room while having conversations with close friends and family. As I listen to their words, I’m allowed a peek into their soul, and sometimes I gather a glimpse of a reflection. The reflection shows me a myriad of emotions, a sense of the person’s history, and most of all the essence of their being. The New Testament is full of accounts of Christ’s meaningful conversations. He brought life, love, and hope through the conversations He had with friends and strangers alike. I think of encounters like the woman at the well, Nicodemus, and multiple dissertations with the disciples on life and faith. These conversations changed the course of people’s lives, and they inspire me to have more of my own. Perhaps that’s what draws me so much to the World Race. The chance to have meaningful conversations with people of all different ages, backgrounds, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, etc.The chance to discuss life, love, hope, and what that looks like for each individual. The chance to discover the heart of another person and in the process perhaps finding a slight reflection of my own.
