It was mid-afternoon and in the upper 90’s. I lengthened my stride just a bit so I could enter Home Depot with the man walking ahead of me. His clothes were soaked with sweat indicating to me that he likely had not been hanging out at the coffee shop. I said, “Whatever you are working on, it doesn’t look cool nor easy.” 

He said, “We’ve been pouring concrete, and we are finished for the day.” 

I replied, “I’ve done enough concrete work to know there is nothing easy about concrete —putting it in or taking it out.” That was it. Nothing spiritual just an engagement.

While filling up gas, a 60 year old guy was filling up his car near mine. His license plate was “exmedic.” I had to raise my voice a bit to be heard so I could ask what his plate meant. He told me he was an EMT for 27 years. I asked if he had a word of wisdom that he gained from all those years of helping people in tragedy. “Nope” was his response.

We were on our regular morning walk, and a 30ish guy with two small dogs was walking towards us. I greeted him saying, “Hello. We don’t know you. This is our normal walking route, but we haven’t met you before. We are the Maxwell’s. I’m Steve, and this is my wife Teri.”

He smiled and said, “I’m Nathan, and we live on the other side of 20th. I usually walk the dogs on that side of 20th. I teach at the Junior High and so I am only out walking in the summer, but I am getting ready for hiking in Colorado that we do each summer.” Since our family has enjoyed Colorado hiking, we had a brief conversation about that. 

Finally I said, “Nice to meet you Nathan. We will look forward to seeing you again. Maybe you can tell us about your Pike’s Peak hike.” When we got home, Teri added his name to the list of “our neighbors” in her phone that helps us remember names and details about our friends as we grow relationships with some of them. 

As you can see, every conversation does not have to move spiritual. There is no pressure —just a multitude of opportunities to meet people. Trusting that God is at work in every encounter, I want to learn and grow. It is a wonderful journey. 

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).