From No to Know by Clint

The other night, I was hitting up Luby’s for dinner. Fried chicken was on my mind, and also there’s no better mac & cheese than what they have at Luby’s. I pulled in and went inside, planning on grabbing the styrofoam to-go box and taking dinner back to my apartment. When I jumped in line, there was a group of about eight elderly couples in front of me. Another older couple got in line right behind me. I was feeling relatively outgoing and talkative, so I smiled at the gentleman behind me and said, “this must be a church group” (they just had that look about them). He started to say yes, but then hesitated and added that they were actually retired ministers that get together once a month. At this point, we had now found ourselves in a full on conversation. I commented that I was in seminary at Baylor and pastoring a country church. Most of them had gone to Baylor, and they had once been seminarians, too. He then invited me to eat dinner with them. In that split-second decision time, I thought about the fact that I had already planned to get the food, jet home, and see what was on T.V., but I found myself saying yes to his offer. Me, with my hair somewhat faux-hawked (would that be a faux-faux-hawk?) and in more metro-style clothes than I normally wear at the table with five 70-something couples. It might have looked peculiar to everyone else in the restaurant. I’m telling this story because I ended up having a blast sitting with them. They were very kind, interesting, and funny. I noticed an intriguing peace that all of them seemed to have. They were living in that moment, and they were content with seemingly everything. I was able to gain a lot of wisdom from that one dinner, but I’ll never forget the answer to one of my questions. I asked one of the old ministers, “What’s the biggest blessing to a life of ministry, and what’s the most difficult thing about a life of ministry?” He began to answer, but his wife cut him off. She said, “The biggest blessing is definitely the people. The biggest challenge, though, is definitely…the people.” I thought her reply was funny and wise, and it applies to everyone, not just ministers. A major part of the Hebrew word Hesed is the relational aspects. In community and in fellowship, we can bless and honor God. Christ said the two most important commandments are loving God and loving people (Mk. 12:28-31). Talking with folks that had faced the challenge of people because of their love for people made me realize the fulfillment that can be gained in relationships. God desires us to be relational. And most of us have the innate desire to be relational. However, because of the challenging aspects of relationships, we often put up walls, and close ourselves off from people that might be a bit risky to get to know. When the old minister invited me to dinner with his whole group, he took a little risk. What if I had terrible table manners? What if I was rude or insensitive? What if I dominated the conversation? I could have ruined their monthly Luby’s reunion, but he took a chance seeing that I might learn from them, and they might learn from me. Also, I almost said “no” to the offer! Going home and watching T.V. almost took precedence over eating a meal with great people. I realized that I needed to rethink my mental programming that immediately wants to say “no” to opportunities. When Christ approached two brothers wrestling with fishing nets, and asked them to follow him, I wonder if their first inclination was to say “no”(Mark 1:16-20). What a blessing that they didn’t! Their lives were certainly never the same. Theologians have a term called the “divine Yes.” This is that God said “Yes” to us as He is willing to love us and provide a Savior for us from sin. So, it seems as though we should be willing to say “yes” not only to Christ but also to a willingness to form relationships with those around us, even if they will be challenging.