Power encounters....

"I'm attempting to walk with you here..."

It was a true blessing to hear these words from a friend of mine this past week. It showed me the person really cared about how I was and who I am. We were engaging in a conversation and the person opposite me was doing more than just pretending to care. Our talk was more than just a casual, "How ya doin'? I'll be on my way now..." The person actually stopped and listened to what I had to say and wasn't befuddled when I failed to respond to his question with a quick or expected answer. I wasn't just someone he was connecting with on the way to another errand. I had his attention, however momentary, and he had mine.

In the midst of multitasking and a thousand other things to do, this person gave me a rare gift in a minute or two of singular focus. He allowed me to have what I am guilty of not giving others often enough; I'm to quick to speak and despite training, I struggle to listen without interjecting and interrupting. I assume I know what the person is probably going to say next, or worse yet, I tell somebody I understand his or her situation when I only have slight impressions with which to judge. 

"I'm attempting to walk with you here" seems so gracious because it opens the door to further interaction and  shares with me the hope you might really want to know me a little. I'm not just your fellow church-member, classmate, or person sharing the doorway. Attempting to walk with me or gain any sense of my spiritual and emotional pulse is quite possibly going to require more than a few moments of random chit-chat.

I'm not saying that every relationship has to go deep and extend beyond a friendly handshake. I am saying that most notable friendships and conversations I have with people require time which we (myself not exempted) often have difficulty giving. Too often, we give in to checklists, other good excuses, and the swirling thoughts of a perpetually distracted mind. 

When somebody gives me the actual gift of attempting to walk with me, I'm going to stop and take note. It doesn't happen in places where I am too often; I wish it would happen more. In even attempting to walk with me for a few minutes, my friend gave me valuable insight into what I might be able to share more of with others. The investment toward relationship is a powerful one and I'm thinking believers should pause to match pace with each other more frequently. Within a world of pain and despair; it shouldn't hurt us to help out a little more by taking time to get to know each other better.