Witness (19/365)

Monday January 23, 2012

Ahhhh, Monday.

Monday is my day to clean up after the weekend, gather my thoughts and make my to-do list for the week.

Except, today started out a little different than usual.

After getting Hannah on the bus, I had to chug some coffee and get my workout clothes on because I was having my neighbor over at 8:30 AM to workout.

Yes, 8:30 AM...  That's early for me. On a Monday.

A couple of weeks ago, I made a pact with my neighbor and another girlfriend that I was going to start working out.  They are going to do it with me and we are going to hold each other accountable with encouragement.

So, the day got started at high speed for me.  It was great - I'm not complaining at all.  It's just a new routine that I need to get adjusted to.

After the workout, my neighbor headed home and I sat down to publish my blogs from the weekend (notice I started putting the date at the top so we can tell which day the post is from.  On Mondays I usually post 3 or 4 from the weekend).

Around 11:00, there was a knock at the door.  I looked out the front door window and saw that it was the neighborhood Jehovah's Witness, Liz.  She's been coming around for a couple of years, and I have actually taken the time to speak with her and get to know her.

Anyone I talk to says they normally don't give the visiting Jehovah's Witness the time of day, promptly slamming the door in their face.  Maybe they take the literature, maybe they don't.  I used to do the same thing.

But there's something about Liz that intrigues me.  She is pretty, she wears nice clothes, her kids are the same ages as mine (one a little older than Hannah), she seems so - normal.  I'm not knocking Jehovah's Witness by that statement, I just think sometimes before we meet someone and get to know them, we have preconceived notions about what they think or what they'll look like.  And she normally doesn't come by in the winter.  She normally catches me in the summer when I'm outside with the kids.

Today, I asked her to step in so she didn't have to stand outside in the cold.  I hadn't seen her since July or August, so I was curious what she had to say.

She stayed for almost an hour and we talked about life, the kids, and of course, our faith.  I normally shy away from religion and politics in any setting simply because the subjects are so sensitive, and everyone has their own beliefs. 

I try to just respect others' beliefs and not judge.  I've been on the "judgement" side before and it didn't end well.  You know how it is when you feel so passionately about something, and you want others to feel as warm & tingly about it as you do?  Well, I can feel all warm & tingly and just keep it to myself.  That's how I roll.  Right, wrong or indifferent, life is just more harmonious that way.

She wants to get together with me on a weekly basis to discuss her literature and read the Bible together.  I politely declined stating a very busy schedule, but let her know that I appreciate her impromptu sporatic visits, and welcomed her to continue.

I'm not saying that I'm open to talking about religion or politics in a social setting - I wouldn't dare go that far. But I think on a smaller, more personal level, it's quite enriching. In this case, a woman with a different "religion" coming to me and wanting to not only share her beliefs, but wanting me to share mine as well.

I'm thankful for differences, faith, hope, love and DIVERSITY.  I think it can never hurt to know others' beliefs. There is something we can learn from all kinds of different people.  Whether it be religion, upbringing, life experience - being open-minded and loving can really make a difference to others, and we might be surprised how much of a difference it makes in our own life.

Or maybe, how much we really all have in common.