Saturday, October 14, 2006

Isn't it funny,

when the things you joke about, really happen? Well, not always, but today, certainly.
Today I met a man called Abdul on the tube and we had a nice chat. And then he asked for my number. I couldn't tell in what capacity he might want to follow up our conversation, so I decided I would decline to give him it. He responded to my refusal very graciously; and I did take his number, so as not to seem too rude.
He was a wonderful chap, and although it was all a little ambiguous as to whether he was wanting to get it on or happy to make a friend (most likely, a bit of both, I think) I thoroughly enjoyed our encounter. He is originally from Iraq and has been in England four years, but is still battling with the language because he doesn't have any English friends to practise on. I think he might like to have some English friends as well as the Iraqi ones he has here. Despite confusing signals, there was genuine warmth in my meeting with Abdul, from both sides. He wanted to talk, to tell his story, and I wanted to hear it. There's something pretty good about meeting a new person, sharing a bit of who you are, and being liked and respected. I felt that today.
I don't really know why I am blogging about this; perhaps because chance encounters with strangers fascinate me. It's always a little odd and disturbing and makes you feel vulnerable, and yet, its the most natural thing in the world- it's what we were wired to do, to reach out to each other. I spend quite a lot of time longing to be someone whom people feel they can share themselves with; someone who can create a bit of space for people to be the powerful, wonderful, loving, broken people they are so often afraid to be. I wonder whether I need to chill out and not try so hard; because it is happening. It makes me more uncomfortable and vulnerable than I'd like, and sometimes (often) it all looks a little, well, messy. But maybe that's the point: I only make the space for people by opening myself up to them; letting them touch me (metaphorically, obviously), and change me and confuse me and surprise me. Hooray for human relationships, which explode out of the boxes we put them in. Hooray that however hard I try, I can never shelter myself from people and relationships which wreak glorious, gracious havoc in my life. Hooray for this Jesus whom I cannot escape. Whom I would never want to escape.
God bless Abdul.

1 Comments:

At 10/15/2006 12:26:00 AM, Blogger jeff said...

:-)

 

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