February 27, 2019 “I’m really good at talking, but I’m not comfortable sharing.” That’s typically my response when someone asks me to participate in some type of discussion group or to give some type of witness talk. If you meet me, it’ll be clear very quickly why communications is such a fitting field for me. I’m a professional talker. I love telling stories and talking about ideas, and I love hearing about other peoples’ experiences and ideas. I’m even among that odd subset of the population that sort of enjoys public speaking. I’m comfortable talking about a wide variety of topics, but I am completely uncomfortable talking about my struggles, failures, doubts, moments of conversion or awe… – the deep stuff; the important stuff. I barely talk about those things with the people closest to me, let alone with strangers. This brings me to Presidents’ Day, when I found myself sitting in Tim Hortons with two relative strangers, a few cups of coffee and my laptop. While I was interviewing the men about their experience with Alpha and their faith journeys in general, at least one of the men seemed intent on interviewing me. He asked about my life experiences and faith journey. I was (sort of) sharing. In Tim Hortons – a busy Tim Hortons, at that. It was not a normal moment for me. This conversation over coffee was an important moment. I was inspired by the stories these men told of their faith journeys. I felt accepted for mine. There was grace and beauty in the conversation. A friend often reminds me that we need to step outside our comfort zones to grow and progress. I like my comfort zone. As the name implies, it’s comfortable. But despite what I like, growth and progress are what I need. We’re all called to step outside our comfort zones. We’re called to take Christ to others; that’s not comfortable. We’re called to cooperate with grace to overcome our weaknesses and struggles; that’s not comfortable. We’re called to holiness, and that’s not always comfortable. But it’s important. |
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