PERSPECTIVE 8 december 2024 www.goodnewsfl.org Good News • South Florida edition Several years ago, I was introduced to a wonderful man by the name of Peter. Peter had lived on the street for upwards of seven or eight years when we met, and I am happy to say that today Peter is no longer on the street. Peter lives with several other people in a rented house and is able to manage his life relatively well. Peter is also plugged into a local church where he has found some additional community and is drawing closer to God Peter prays for me regularly as I pray for him. Peter and I communicate on a regular basis with the occasional lunch outing. I typically call his flip phone, which is the traditional way I reach him, and then he either answers or shortly calls back. He, likewise, will call me and I do the same. However, recently I had noticed that whenever I would call Peter, his phone would immediately go to voicemail (which was full), and he would never call me back. I had also noticed that Peter was not calling me anymore. I was a little confused and assumed that he may have found a “better” friend since I had not been very consistent in my visits or phone calls. Friends need to be available... duly noted. I decided, recently, to pay Peter a visit at his home. I was delighted to see him as he was me. I had asked him if he was getting my phone calls and he had said no, he was not. I was confused. I took out my phone and called his phone and the call did not go through. He picked up his phone and called me and the call did go through. What was wrong? Perhaps a setting on my phone? on his? Perhaps he had blocked my number, which he assured me he had not. I proceeded to scrolled through his blocked numbers, which numbered into the hundreds (thank you spam) and indeed found my number. He had inadvertently blocked my number. I unblocked it and we are back to communicating. Feels good. Failure to communicate Peter and I had a nice visit, and he did confess that he was very confused as to why I had disappeared. He had been hurt and said it had caused him much stress. He thought that I had dropped our friendship and wondered what he had done wrong to offend me in such a way that I would no longer contact him. Ironically, I had been thinking some of the same. The culprit was a breakdown in communication. Perhaps some of you can remember the iconic scene in the 1967 movie, “Cool Hand Luke,” when the actor Strother Martin, playing, “The Captain” says, in a tense scene, to Lucas Jackson, played by Paul Newman, …“What we have here is a failure to communicate….” Indeed, Peter and I had experienced the same. Feeling distant I can’t help but ponder on the fact that I often will find myself in the same situation with God. Have you? David, the Psalmist certainly did, so did many of the prophets, kings and Old Testament heroes. I will, from time to time, find myself in a place where I sense God is not as present as I would hope Him to be. I will entertain the idea that I have done something to distance myself from God, that He is no longer answering my prayers or perhaps has become bored, fed up, and disappointed with me. I will quickly accuse God of all kinds of things and assume the worst. My relationship with God may be in question as I sense He has blocked me. The tactic may provide some temporary relief, as playing the victim card usually does. However, in the end, it just makes me miss Him more. However, what is so ironic is that usually I come to find out that I have blocked Him, either unintentionally or deliberately. I am guilty of both. My busy life can unintentionally block Him. My sin of omission or commission deliberately block Him. I find it interesting that I default to the fact that God has blocked me when in all reality I have blocked Him. Therefore, as we enter the season before us, we are made aware of the many opportunities that we will have to engage in sacred conversations. Your voice is important. We start with the conversations we have with God our Father. Perhaps the most significant gift we will receive over the next few weeks and months is unblocking that relationship and enjoying the ever presence of His voice in our lives. However, we can’t stop there. Our conversations with God tend to compel us to look around and intentionally engage with those around us, including unblocking a broken relationship or forgotten friend. Let this season be rich in conversation, let this season heal blocked relationships and let this season refresh the joy you receive as you engage with your Heavenly Father and those He loves dearly... God eagerly awaits you. Stephan N. Tchividjian is the CEO and co-founder of the National Christian Foundation South Florida. Visit southflorida.ncfgiving.com to learn more. UNBLOCKED - Stephan Tchividjian - CEO and Co-Founder, National Christian Foundation South Florida
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