Brief Encounters

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Isn't it funny how day by day, nothing changes but when you look back, everything is different...

C.S. Lewis (Prince Caspian)

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The road is long but life is short. Even when a person lives to 100 years, we feel like we haven't had enough time with them. How then, do we deal with loss at a much younger age? Over the past few months, I have been deeply challenged by the notion of brief encounters. The everyday relationships that may only be fleeting. A colleague at work, a fellow commuter, the person at the coffee shop. The person you see around but never make a connection with. For those few moments, minutes or hours, you share a common goal, a common purpose - a commonality. It is in these moments that people can have the greatest impact. The question is; Do you choose to use those moments?

Yesterday, a friend of mine was taken to his home in glory. Less than a month ago, I barely knew him. He was a friend of a friend, we had barely spoken. Now a few weeks later, he was one of my best friends. I wonder how different the last month would have played out had I not bought him coffee - a brief encounter. But you see, it works both ways. I only knew him for such a short period of time, yet in that time, he challenged me so much. In ways that I just never expected. Just as much as I had an impact on his life, he has equally had an impact on mine. I will miss him terribly and it absolutely sucks that he won't be around to make Uni a better place. But I rest safe in the knowledge of where he is.

Love. Love is the calling we all have. It is the greatest commandment. Love. No ifs, no buts. You see, its not all about the big moments in life, sometimes it is in the small ones where God does the most work. That is where love is shown. Yes, the grand acts of love are important, but if we can't love in the ordinary everyday; have we really loved at all? The choice is down to you. And believe me, if just one person starts to love in the small moments, you kick start a chain reaction which has the potential to change peoples lives.

I know that love without conditions can be scary. I know that life is tough. I know that sometimes, the last thing you want to do is love. But a life as a disciple of Christ is not meant to be easy. We are battling the devil. But why should we choose to love? He loved us first. In a world so complex, it is that simple. His love that will not let you down. His love that will not let you go. His love that embraces every single part of you. His love - that promises life - life that shall be endless. So, how will you use your brief encounters?

We all have a choice,

A choice to make.

We all have a voice,

A voice to take.

We all have a life,

A life to give.

Will you choose to live?

To live for Him.

And will you choose to give,

To give to Him,

Everything you have,

Your soul to bring.

Will you choose to Love?

To love your King?

(Joshua Barker, 2020)