“Hey Dad, It’s Me”

Yesterday morning, I watched a documentary titled I AM. It’s on Netflix, and I recommend watching it. On it, there is a seemingly insignificant clip of the director calling his father on the phone. The only part of the conversation we see is the director/son’s greeting. He begins by saying, “Hey Dad, it’s me. Is it too late?” What we assume from the film is that he is calling his father and asking if it’s too late to come by the father’s house to interview him. However, there are three points to the son’s side of the conversation that I want to highlight. “Hey Dad”, “it’s me”, and the question “Is it too late?”.

“Hey Dad”. This simple greeting illustrates a name and identity for one who created us. It is not elaborate nor is it elevated. It does not list the number of things the father has done or his numerous identities. It lists only the most basic, and possibly most significant, relational identity that exists in the eyes of the son, “Dad”.

“it’s me.” I identify with this as this is how I greet my parents on the phone. I don’t say, “It’s Brent” or “This is your eldest son calling you”…unless I’m joking around. Even still, the first words that come from my mouth are “Hey Mom and Dad, it’s me.” This statement of self-identification implies that the parent knows the voice of the child so well that only the sound of the voice is needed for identification. Granted, the words “Hey Dad” would imply that of all possible callers, this caller is one of your children. Still, a relationship must pre-exist outside of this call in order for the voice and identity to be recognized. Beyond this, there is also an understanding the son has regarding the significance of his own identity in relation to the father. If the son didn’t know the father would recognize him based on his voice alone, he would not feel confident in offering such a brief and non-descriptive explanation of himself. Thus, we know that the son knows his “Dad” well and is aware that his father knows his son well.

“Is it too late?” This question can be viewed simply as a question of timing, as the father is old and may go to bed soon. We can’t tell, based on the footage given, what limiting factor is present. All that can be known is that a time constraint is implied.

If you haven’t made the connection yet, don’t know me well, and haven’t quite enough foresight to see where I’m going with this metaphor, I’ll explain it to you. (Although, I’m sure it’s unnecessary.) All these points can be made when relating to our Heavenly Father, Abba, “Dad”. I won’t repeat myself, but in case you’re wondering about the last point, regarding the son’s question, it isn’t too late. It wasn’t too late for the director to meet with his father. Though, before the release of the documentary, the father passed away. How sadly fitting that this question be asked. I doubt the son knew the significance of his question. I doubt he knew that time with his father would be so limited beyond the hours of that day, but the truth that time is limited remains. Our time to establish and increase our relationship with our Father while on Earth is limited by time. Don’t waste opportunities to be in conversation with Him. Know that he is your Father, your Dad. He knows you better than anyone else. Lastly, know that it’s not too late to talk to him today. He might be old, but he’s more than willing to stay up to talk with you for as long as you need.

21 Day Challenge – Community

If you missed the Facebook post, I’ve been trying to focus on meeting new people. It actually stemmed from reading about a 21 Day Challenge on the Art of Manliness website. This has been a difficult endeavor. As an introvert, I am much more comfortable sticking to the people I know. Additionally, my life is pretty cyclical and doesn't involve seeing and meeting new people each day. In fact, there are only rare opportunities for this, and I try not to force the interaction by running up to strangers and shouting in their face. It has been difficult, and honestly, I've only spoken to 1 or 2 new people in the last 10 days. I'm not quitting, but I've realized that, perhaps additionally, I should do all that I can for those I know and am around all day. This may be the more impacting and effective way to do good.

Allow me to quickly explain my idea using an illustration. Let’s look at the example of the church. So often, we look at the story of Jesus and his calling of the disciples. He calls them 1 or 2 at a time. It portrays 1 calling another or 2 others. The problem is when we stop there. We don’t continue down the story, when community attracts the 1s and 2s and thousands. After Jesus and his disciples are an established group and community, we see others drawn to that community.

To shift our gaze to present day, in the life of a church, we don’t see 1 person saying, “Come follow me.” We see a person saying, “Will you come to church with me? Will you be a part of our community?” As outsiders to the community, we are attracted. People are not usually attracted to isolation. That doesn’t mean that, as an introvert, I don’t want to get away from time to time. Even Jesus took moments in isolation on the hillside with the Father. What this means is that as a part of a group, we don’t see the wallflower at the dance or the guy sitting alone at the lunch table and think, “I wish I were sitting off to the side, alone.” Or “I wish I were sitting at a table alone, too.”  Instead, we see the group of people sitting together and think, “I wish I could be a part of that. I wish I were part of that group.”

To be most effective in my efforts to build relationships, I thought that I should try my best to meet new people. This is a worthy cause, to desire to increase the number of relationships I have with others, to stumble across the path of a man who just needs a smile or random act of kindness. However, I realized that this can be very difficult to accomplish and not necessarily due to my own fault. I am around the same people every day. I work with the same people. We sit at our assigned cubicles, limiting visibility and interaction with others. Therefore, the likelihood of an encounter with a new individual is less likely than a repeated interaction with the same person I see each day. If this is the case, then wouldn’t it be more likely that I could enhance the existing relationships rather than meet someone new?

If I build upon the relationships I have and enhance the community, is it possible that others will be attracted to the community? I believe so. To speak to numbers, it is also likely that other members of my community will have relationships and encounters with those outside the community and may be able to draw them into our community. As communities tend to share ideas, it is possible that my desire to meet new people could spread to those in my community. My desire becomes their desire. My mission is now the mission of the community. How much more effective is a community over the individual?