Originally published Wednesday, 01 April 2015.
We were sitting around their fireplace, talking about differences between American and Romanian culture.
“One of the things that stands out the most,” I share, bravely, “Is that people just pop in for a visit. No phone call. No invitation. Just ‘Hey, I was thinking of you and thought I’d stop by.'”
She nodded, sharing how she had experience a similar situation on a mission’s trip. “It’s like there’s a different set of values. Life is slower. People are more important. You take time to sit and really engage the people in front of you.”
“Yeah,” I grin. “It’s all nice and good until you realize they’ve been sitting at your kitchen table for two hours and you still have a bazillion things to do that day, and they have no intention of leaving any time soon.”
“For what it’s worth, you’re welcome to come visit like that any time,” my new friend said, sincerity beaming on her face.
I miss that. I do. As annoying as it was sometimes to have our village neighbors meander up our driveway at all hours of the day (especially around meal times–oh the coincidences!), I miss that pace of life where people feel they can just stop by any time.
And I wonder sometimes if Jesus misses that too.
I wonder if rather than setting aside rigid “quiet times” we intentionally carve into our day, we would just walk into His heavenly living room, plop down on the sofa, and sit for a spell. Sure, there’s value in structure and regularity, but there’s something special in the spontaneous visit from a close friend. An “I-was-thinking-of-you-so-I-stopped-by” kind of visit. There’s room for both in our spiritual lives and in our relationships with others.
Whether it’s in the stealth of night like Nicodemus or in the bright noon sun likeJairus, we could all use an impromptu visit with Jesus. I don’t think He would mind. In fact, I think He would rather enjoy our unplanned time with Him.
This post first appeared on OneThingAlone.com.
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