Open Door Policy

I am sitting on facebook right now, but I don't feel too bad about it because I just cleaned our entire room as a suprise for Abby, my roommate. So as I was sitting here doing whatever people do when they are on facebook...basically nothing, and I noticed an old friend of mine's status. We went to middle school together, and that got me thinking about those days that seem sooooo long ago. I went to a small Christian school, with a grand total of eight kids in my eighth grade class. Because of that small number of people, I think, we all became very close over the course of those years. Today, we have all gone our separate ways, but still I'm friends with all of them on facebook. So as I sat there thinking about those days, remembering our friendships and the unique bond that the eight of us had, I started thinking about the people we have all become today. As I try to remember what each of us is doing now, it's really incredible how different each of us are. All of us are at different colleges, I believe, community, private, and public. We all have different interests, majors, activities, and jobs. Some of us are single, others have significant others, and I think one is even married. We are in different places, and we are headed, most likely, even further apart. Perhaps in eighth grade we were not all that different, but now that we have each grown up, I am struck that no two of us are even remotely similar, apart from our faith.

As I thought of all these potentially dividing factors I was struck at the amazing power of Christ to bring people together. Yea, it was eighth grade, and none of us chose to go to that certain school, but we ended up there, and I know I have been blessed from those days. Despite our different lives today and the people we have become, God brought together eight people that year that would go out to all different corners of life. Now, I will not claim that we are all still best friends. I would say instead that we are old friends, but not in the same sense that that phrase is most often used. Rather, I use it to say that we once knew each other, maybe not anymore today than the "acquaintance" type of facebook friends, but we still share a link that cannot be broken: the link of brothers and sisters in Christ.

And so I marvel at the power of Christ to bring the most random and unlikely people together for his incredible, yet unknown purposes. This same principle is seen everyday in the church. In youth groups kids from all different schools are brought together by Christ to learn from each other. In Bible studies and Sunday school classes, people of all ages, pasts, and futures come together to learn about Christ, and, I think, to learn from each other.

But this principle or idea, whatever you want to think of it as, doesn't only stop in Christian environments. And so I realize the vital importance of having a heart and mind open to new people. See, you never know what person God might bring into your life at the most random time, or even at the most normal. Yea, God might use a new experience or place to give you new relationships, but who's to say that he won't use a normal, everyday circumstance, too? If I go into life with a closed mind to new friendships, I could miss out on an individual that God wants me to be there for during that hard time because I have empathy for their hardship. I might lose the chance to have a unique and incredible friend who always cheers me up, or I might shut off my heart to someone who God will use to teach me a valuable lesson.

Looking back, there's no doubt that God brought the eight of us together for a reason. I don't doubt that you have people in your life that God has done the exact same thing with. Rarely, at the point of meeting someone, do you realize a) whether they will be a lasting friend, or b) how they will impact your life. But you know who does know? God. But if we shut ourselves off to new people and friendships, I wonder how much we could miss out on. I don't know about you, but my guess is that, like me, you'd like to have as many meaningfull people in your life as possible. The thing is, we can't pick and choose "meaningfull people" out of a crowd to be our friends. It doesn't work that way. Rather, our all-knowing Creator does the picking and choosing. Frankly, I'm glad for that, mostly because I know He can pick the people He wants to be in my life way better than I would be able to, but also because a life full of suprises is indeed one full of unforgettable people, friendships, and experiences. So ask and trust God to bring the right people into your life. Open up the door of your heart and your mind. After all, you never know who's going to walk in.