Crossing Paths

Steve and I went to the Hu Ke Lau for the first time Saturday night.

Pu Pu platter, Scorpion Bowl and Paula Poundstone? Oh, yeah.

We were sat at a table for four people, and knew we would have some people joining us. Sure enough, about 20 minutes later, a couple in their late 40's- early 50's were led to the table by the waitress.

Within five minutes, without much cajoling, we found out that "Chris" had bought the tickets for "Lisa" as a surprise today, that Chris considered Paula Poundstone to be a (insert extremely inappropriate profanity here), and that they had five kids between them from previous marriages, ages ranging from 7-30.

Whew. That was a lot of information in a short period of time. Already, nearby tables were casting disapproving looks.

Alright, I was ready to take this on. I would never see these people again, I only had to deal with them until Paula hit the stage, and I like to think I can have a conversation with just about anyone. Topics weaved all over the place. When Chris became a little too forceful with some of his opinions (i.e. I should be day trading since I'm a stay at home Mom and have a computer), Steve or I would change the subject.

I had met people like him before. People who felt the need to explain themselves, over and over, so other people would accept them. I recognized it and went with it. Before I knew it, the lights had dimmed and Paula Poundstone was walking onstage.

It wasn't until after the show, when Steve and I were walking out, that I realized God had placed us with them intentionally. He knew we could handle them, while other customers simply would not have. I'm coming more and more to believe that it's not by chance that we cross paths with certain people. It's fate.

It's really easy to sit inside my "bubble" in Goshen, interacting with a small range of people on a daily basis. For 45 minutes, I was put in a situation where I had to talk to people who had a completely different life (Chad had been married 5 times, for example) and a viewpoint that wasn't anything like my own. It opened my eyes a little.

How differently would we see the world if we saw every encounter not as coincidence but as something to learn from?