A new friend
My life seems to be an endless repeat of rotating issues. Sometimes, its always either money, family, girlfriend or religion.Latest on the list is religion again. Since the holidays, i have been working in the college admin office. As fate would have it, i befriended a few of the people there, and started chatting with this one person about religion.
Being in an office setting, a lot of the conversations are normally non-personal. A lot of jokes here and there, but seldom do people ask or offer personal details. Maybe its because we were almost of the same age in our early twenties, but i got along pretty well with this particular person. Our conversation revolved around religion, and to my surprise, she actually shared with me how she became a Christian and the difficulties she faced (and still face) with her family objection. Her father strongly objected to it, feeling that Christianity is a western religion and has no place in his family. To my even greater surprise, she even told me about her family problems; her parents were no longer together, and her mother moved out of the house while she was in the uni days. They never formally divorced, but continue to live under the same house and are not on speaking terms. She wanted to get baptised, but decided to put it off because she was afraid that it would upset her father too much.
Of course, she did not share all this with me without asking me for some in return. So, i offered her information about myself, relating to her my family history, my fathers career in ministry, his conversion to Islam, my mothers mental illness and her struggle with a cheating husband and depression, my own struggles as the son of both of them and such, I did admit to her that I'm sort of lost in terms of religion, not really doing anything about my faith. Of course, it was just a highly condensed version. But at the end of it all, she just said to me "I guess I actually have alot to be thankful for." I just smile and said nothing.
In the end, she gave me an invitation card to her church and invited me to come along. She even gave me the name and contact of her pastor and told me to call him if i needed someone to talk to or any help at all. i was flattered actually. I didnt expect anyone to show so much interest in me or my problems, all the more in an office setting. Aftera all, i was just a temporary assistant in the office, doing all the miscellaneous work. They see dozens of us come and go every few months. But in the end, i was glad that at the very least, i made a friend in my few weeks of working there. Though i was wondering was kind of message i was sending her that prompted her to give me the number of her pastor. Do i really come across as someone who needs an ear to talk to so desperately? Nevertheless, i appreciated the gesture.
But it seems so strange that of all kinds of conversation possible, i ended up talking about my faith, and of all things, i was invited once again to come to church. Every time someone invites me to church, it seems almost like some sort of divine action from God. As if, this person here at the moment is asking me to go to church not by accident, but by fate. Its not like someone asking you to go for a camp where you can afford to miss. If truely there is a God then turning these invitations down would effectively be condemning myself to an eternity in hell! Well, some thing along those lines anyway.
I just want to thank this person, who shared her own struggles with me. As i have said even in this blog, the fact that you are willing to share your problems with me, a stranger, is an honour. It made me feel good that you deemed me worthy to share your problems with, though i assume its not something you do with all of your colleagues. Even more, i thank you for lending an ear to my problems offering me help in return.
posted by Compulsive Blogger @ 12:43 am
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