Anamchara

Anmchara

"On the first day of the week, two of Jesus' followers were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him." Luke 24:13-16

"Now, turn around. See the sunlight. Imagine a friend walking toward you while you're still in darkness, still dancing to hell's music.

Imagine a friend, what the medieval Irish called an anmchara, a person you could trust for a lifetime. They had a saying: 'Anyone without an anmchara is like a body without a head.'

Stretch your imagination. Let this person who enters the devil's dance hall be fluent in SoulTalk, someone who:

thinks beneath, who sees your real battle between the Old Way and the New Way, who knows the difference between the false gospel of religion and the true gospel of Christianity;

thinks vision, who looks at you with eyes brimming with hope, eyes that see your uniqueness and believes in who you could become;

thinks passion, who is self-aware and therefore humble, who is so broken that he is confident in the Spirit, and when you're with him, you catch a whiff of Jesus, and the fragrance is sweet;

thinks story, who patiently endures as you tell your story - as a tragedy, romance, irony, or comedy; someone who listens with transcendent curiosity and therefore can see a soul looking for God in all the wrong places, a friend whose eyes glisten with love as he rebukes and confronts and exposes, whose voice drips with grace as he directs and invites, whose words carry unshakable hope as he explores the story of your soul."
SoulTalk by Larry Crabb, pp. 213-214

It is not good when I live my life in self-obsessed religion, always doing and saying and trying to be the the "right" thing or person. Thankfully, I listened when I met my friend Dorota, and I was able to really hear and appreciate her, and ultimately, God.

Dorota is such a neat young person. But, I would have never known that, or appreciated her, except that for once in my life, I listened. Really listened.

It is my desire to be quiet - quit talking and discussing - and just listen. I have become so self-obsessed with getting everything right that I'm missing the point.

posted by Anamchara @ 6:30 PM