An Afternoon Idyll
October 31, 2007 by Ingrid Schlueter
It made absolutely no sense today but I did it anyway. Midmorning, I suddenly remembered a friend of mine and her two requests recently that we get together to talk about books. She was looking for some helpful Christian materials and wanted to get some suggestions. It was a chilly, cloudy sort of fall day today, and the thought of sitting down with a friend to talk books was very alluring. I looked at the stack of pending work on my desk and nearly backed out. Then, before I could back out, I picked up the phone and called her. She was pleased that I called and told me that her day was unusually quiet for a change, and she suggested this afternoon to get together. My mind raced over the things I needed to tweak at home before company came, and I hesitated, but only for about three seconds. The plans were made and I was committed. Racing through some quick vacuuming and dusting I wondered if I was crazy, committing to such a thing in the middle of a weekday. I am so glad I did.
It was a wonderful afternoon of talk about the Lord and sharing about great Christian books that have helped us in the Christian walk. We spoke of God’s grace in our lives and the lives of our children. I pulled out my grandmother’s old thin china cups, and we had our coffee in style. There was a warmth of friendship that can only exist between those who both know the Lord. It’s something that can’t be explained in words, really.
I write all of this to highly recommend doing something radical on behalf of Christian friendship. Our schedules can be oppressive and sometimes the things that really matter, like being there for a friend, get lost in the shuffle. I could hear the phone ringing several times but it was bliss to ignore it. I knew emails were coming in, and my cell phone was buzzing its heart out in the next room. But we talked on until the light began to fade, and we looked at the clock and realize three hours had gone by. They were delightful, God-ordained hours. Absolutely lovely. So go ahead. Rebel against the tyranny of your schedule and reach out to someone. You’ll both be blessed!
Ingrid,
Sounds like a perfectly lovely afternoon. Good for you.
Its so much fun to discuss the Lord with someone who loves Him also. God bless you sister.
Amen!
There’s got to be some meaning in saying, “For freedom Christ set us free.”
And I think the real Christian life has got to not be only marked by willingness to serve and suffer. If we are to be salt and light (and I’m not sure we understand what that means because it has become such a cliche), or light in the world, I think there should be some kind of growing beauty about us and how we live, displaying the attributes of Christ in the Spirit. This can be manifest in humble circumstances, too. I’ve seen it.
Wordsworth may or may not have been a believer, but he was also right when he wrote, “the world is too much with us.”
Very encouraging post!!! It is wonderful (and, sadly, rare) to have godly friends to sit down and truly talk about the Lord together.
It certainly sounds like you two had a fabulous time together!!! I am very happy for you!
His,
Mrs. U
I envy you. It sounds quite wonderful. Wish there was someone I knew that I could do that with.
Blissful.
Thanks for sharing this.
God bless
Thank you for posting this. I’ve been really thinking hard about ways to reach out to other Christian women and to cultivate genuine friendships with them. I think I may be ready to just do it, lol. Thank you for this hopeful post.