A very wise friend (okay, that gave it away -- it was indeed Dan) recently told me that, if we're not encountering people who are different from ourselves, then we're not living out the Great Commission. (Okay, Dan worded it much more eloquently than that but basically that is what he said.)

I have had a flood of thoughts taking over me the past couple of weeks along these lines. You may remember my post last week about sitting at Panera's and seeing some people sit as individuals at a table for ten. After reading that post, my very wise friend, in a very gentle way, helped me to see that perhaps I had missed an opportunity to engage some folks in simple conversation and who knows where that might have led. It could have been fascinating and life-changing for me or perhaps even for the lone table sitters.

But instead I sat at my own table for two ... by myself.

Dang, I hate it when people teach me things! An old dog like me shouldn't have to learn new tricks! Or should I?

Of course, I know the answer to that and it is an exciting one.

I really am striving to stretch myself and be more of a "reacher" than a "receiver". I consider myself, even as an introvert, as being a fairly relational person ... but only when the other person reaches out to me first.

That isn't right.

We're living in difficult times ... and they seem to be getting more difficult all the time for many of us.

The Great Commission starts with "Go". I can't do that when I am sitting alone at my table for two at Panera.