God at Work "CAN YOU RELATE TO THIS STORY?" By Hotu Hira

The following story is a very common occurrence that has probably happened to many of us.

It was about one month ago. I engaged in normal conversation while visiting with my neighbor. The topics were non-specific, normal guy talk. Then my neighbor mentioned that his kids were at church and were truly enjoying the youth programs. Wanting to engage further into the topic, I shared how fulfilling it has been for me as a father to witness the excitement and pleasure my kids express when connecting with our church. My neighbor then shared with me that he has no real need for the church. He explained that he had already found himself. He further explained that after a troubling moment in his life he was offered an opportunity to travel through his work. This led him to a remote area in the middle east where he would be somewhat alone for extended periods of time. It was in this restricted type of isolation that he found himself and gained a certain sense of fulfilment that has given him peace, acceptance and contentment. I felt that there was nothing I could or should add at this point feeling that he might not be comfortable sharing anymore. I didn’t think he would be open to hearing any alternate testimonies. He appeared to be quite grounded in his position. So the topic quickly faded with the hope that another opportunity to talk would come again soon.