I once walked into this old, classic 1950’s diner to get something to eat. As I was looking around to find a place to sit, this gentleman looked up at me and invited me to sit with him. I thought to myself that I just wanted to be alone. But his guy seemed like such a nice and pleasant fellow, and he had a nice Ohio State shirt with a button of a picture of his granddaughter.
He asked me, “Are you a church going guy?”
I answered, “Absolutely, and I enjoy watching the Buckeyes as well.”
He grinned and chuckled a bit and added, “Me to.” He went on to say how much he enjoyed his Sundays at church and how much he liked being with his family.
Then, the conversation got a bit serious. His tone and voice grew a little stern and he asked, “What are your distractions in life? What keeps you away from serving God with your whole heart?”
I told him with a shameful heart, “I am just too busy. I am so worn out with work and with running my children everywhere. Going to every event. Going to church three times a week. I could go on and on. Point being that I am just too exhausted to give anymore.”
Again, with a grin and chuckle he said, “Yeah, I love how people are always glued to their technologies and don’t have time for their neighbors anymore. It’s like people are all together, and yet alone. I’m also amused by how people protest for their right to drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes, and get tattoos. I guess I am just old school. Doesn’t it make you wonder why that stuff is so important?”
I thought I would show him my so-called wisdom and answered, “It’s like, if Satan can blur the lines and make items that are not necessarily sin and that are an argumentative discussion amongst church members, then he can cause distraction and division within the church.”
The guy looked right into my eyes. It was starting to get uncomfortable. He asked, “What do you mean by ‘blurring the lines’?”
I answered, “Well, originally, Christians wanted to be set apart from the world. If you didn’t drink, smoke, get tattoos, or work on Sundays, then you would be demonstrating a certain lifestyle. The world would know that you are clearly unique. It wasn’t about if these things were sins or not. It was about living specifically for God. Thus, the world would clearly know that you are a Christian. God could use you to show to others what you have. Now, by ‘blurring the lines’, we don’t show much distinction other than that we show up in a building every Sunday.”
Then the man, who had seemed like a very quiet and unassuming good old guy, started laughing. His humble face turned into a proud and a very much arrogant one. He looked right at me and said these gut punching words, “Then, my plan is working!”
© Crow Lore
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I really enjoyed reading this piece. It is both interesting and entertaining. You do a good job of maintaining the reader’s focus throughout the whole piece. The questions that the man asked about distractions and God are important and intriguing questions. I think a lot of people will be able to relate to the idea that their busy life is the biggest factor in not allowing them to fully serve and live for God.