No Longer a Threat
I recently spent some time with a man that I’ve known off and on for over sixty years. He is about a year older than I am. We weren’t “pals” during our elementary school years because we attended two different schools. When we both got to the same high school, our age difference meant that we weren’t in many (if any) classes together. As I look back, I guess that about the only time we spent much time together in an organized way was when we were both Cub Scouts. That was a long time ago and only lasted a few years.
As we were talking, I mentioned that, even though our mothers were very good friends and that we had a few other things in common, he and I never ran around together much. His response absolutely floored me. His response had nothing to do with the age difference or the fact that we went to different elementary schools. What he said was, “No, you went to church. You were a threat to me.”
I didn’t understand that when he said it. I didn’t understand it when I asked him about his comment before we ended our conversation. His only response to my question about that was, “Well, you were.” He wasn’t angry or confrontational when he said that. He said that in a sort of matter of fact way. I guess that made sense to him, but I still haven’t quite figured that out.
With all of that said, somebody who might have walked in on our conversation the other day probably would have thought that they were walking in on a conversation between two old friends. The ironic thing is that the people who may have thought that would have been correct in their assumption. Even though we have different backgrounds and have had only a few short interactions over the years, we are old and we are friends.
I’m fairly certain that the conversation the other day was the longest single experience in spending time together in decades. We spent some time getting caught up with what has happened in the lives of both of us over the years. We talked about some mutual friends that we had and have. Some time was spent talking about our old high school. Of course, at our age, we had to brag about our “kids” and grandchildren.
After a fairly long and enjoyable visit, we shook hands and promised to do our best to not make this the last time we got together. In fact, it is our intention to make this happen on a regular basis. As we were still shaking hands, my friend made a request that I gladly honored. He asked me to pray.
I’m still not sure why going to church was such a threat all those years ago, but I’m glad that it is a distant memory. Apparently, that barrier no longer exists in any way.
I can make that last statement for a couple of reasons. First, my friend is now a “church goer.” I’m not sure when that started or how it happened, but what used to not be the case is now the case.
The second reason for my confidence (and appreciation) about the fact that a barrier has been removed is that I was not the only one who honored a request that day. My friend honored a request that I made.
The result of that is that, when we can get our schedules “in sync,” I am going to have the opportunity to spend some time with a man who once saw me as a threat and study God’s word with him.
I’m thinking that only God can make things like that happen.
AUTHOR: Jim Faughn
