Look & Listen

Discerning the realities of a broken world and how God is drawing others to Him.

There is an art to identifying God’s work in other people’s lives. Jesus had a discerning heart and mind because He started with prayer. He was incredibly observant of others, and He asked deep questions that got at the core of people’s struggles and joys.

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Marcia’s story:

When CPC offered the chance to experience the Ramadan Feast with our Muslim neighbors in 2016, I just jumped on it. Everything worth learning in my life has either been through the school of hard knocks—from the big, fat screw-ups I’ve made—or from people of other cultures. So I knew there was no way I wasn’t going to go.

I was a little apprehensive at the event at first—I’d never been to an Islamic Center. But people were SO friendly and welcoming. I think our initial contacts were through laughter—life is full of joy, and I think we found that common ground.

There were a couple of people that I just clicked with, so I asked them for their contact information. When I’m with these friends, I just flat out ask them the questions I have. They don’t have to answer me, but they appreciate that I want to listen, and they want to help create a bridge to better understanding. I think our interactions have taken some of the “other” out of me. They see that I’m open to them and want to learn from them.

Sometimes you just have to go for it—be yourself and listen to others and find the common ground. The stakes are big . . . in the full picture, if we all sought to understand and listen to one another better, there would be no “other”.