Tracie and I meet every week to connect and study. We usually meet at McDonald’s and sit at our favorite table, but it was supposed to a beautiful day, so we decided to meet at park shelter. I arrived a little early and was surprised to see men walking on the roof of the large shelter; after all, the skies were filled with looming dark clouds.
I maneuvered around the taped off area and brushed off a picnic table under the shelter. The men weren’t working directly overhead at the time. Plus, it looked as if they were cleaning up for the day.
Tracie arrived and we started to share. We talked about her latest writing project and the process of studying, writing, receiving feedback, and networking. Through the first half hour, we occasionally heard someone walk overhead. We continued to plan our study schedule and focus for the Summer. Little by little, the workers settled in above us. I didn’t notice at first, but our voices adjusted and grew louder and louder. We leaned together over our books, deciding what to prepare for the following week. We looked at each other as if to say, “Are you hearing everything I’m saying?”
Our volume increased to match the noise overhead. We spoke in short sentences and with intensity. During a particularly loud moment, Tracie repeated what she said and yelled, “Can you hear me now?” We laughed and tried to continue but were soon showered with small pieces of roofing debris. That was it. We picked up our books, covered our heads and ran for (un)cover by our cars.
What seems like protection to us isn’t always the best place for us. We might be safe from one thing but exposed to something else. God doesn’t call us into lives of safety. Consider how vulnerability allows you to grow. When and how long should you remain under shelter?
“(Ruth) said, ‘Please let me follow the workers cutting grain and gather what they leave behind.’ She came and has remained here, from morning until just now. She has stopped only a few moments to rest in the shelter.” – Ruth 2:7 (NCV, emphasis added)
As for me and Tracie? Well, let’s just say our prayer time was more peaceful and covered in less debris when we left our shelter.