A Day with a Perfect Stranger by David Gregory

Author:David Gregory [Gregory, David]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction
ISBN: 9780307446312
Publisher: The Crown Publishing Group
Published: 2008-05-20T04:00:00+00:00

“YOU SOUND LIKE you actually believe in God,” I said tensely.

“I do.”

“But…you said you didn’t.”

“Not at all. I said I hate religion.”

“What’s the difference?”

“Religion is what people mistakenly do to try to get to God—by being good enough, keeping certain rules, performing certain rituals, and so forth. But God? Of course I believe in him.”

This was completely not what I was expecting.

“So you also think it’s possible to know God personally?”

“Yes. I know it is.”

I could feel my blood pressure rising. This has all been a setup. He has the same agenda as Mr. Evangelism on the first flight, whose approach didn’t work. So he pretended to be on my side. And I fell for the whole thing!

“You’re no better than that guy on the plane—no, worse! Here I am, pouring my heart out to you about my marriage, and all you want is to trap me into talking about God. At least the other guy was straightforward in his approach.”

I reached for my latte and my bag.

“I wasn’t trying to trick you,” he replied. “I was simply helping you do what you said you wanted—to explore why Nick might be on this new course. I couldn’t do that by stating up front my own perspective. You were too closed for that. But thinking through the issues and reaching your own conclusions—that’s what you’re trying to do, isn’t it?”

Oh. Yeah. I am trying to do that, aren’t I?

I folded my arms across my chest. “Okay,” I conceded, “maybe I did say that.”

I let myself calm down just a little. But I’m still not happy with the subterfuge. Or with where this guy is coming from.

I decided to give his motivation the benefit of the doubt and keep on conversing. It’s not that long before my next plane, so I won’t have to endure much more if I get sick of it. And despite his religious beliefs, he is a counselor. Maybe he can actually help. After all, how many counselors are willing to offer free advice during a trip?

I steered us back to my specific situation—Nick. “But not everyone’s spiritual pursuit involves becoming so zealous as to claim to dine with Jesus. I mean, have you ever heard anyone say that?”

“It’s been a while, I admit.”

“Surely you’re not saying that you think Nick really dined with Jesus.”

“I think only you can decide whether to believe his story or not. I’m just trying to help you assess whether his direction of connecting with God is a reasonable one.”

“And you think it is.”

“Certainly. But I can’t make up your mind for you. And I’m not the one who has to live your marriage.”

“That’s the truth.” Be thankful.

I took another drink of my latte. “You said something a minute ago. You said that if God designed people for an intimate connection with himself, then we are incomplete without him. But don’t you think that God is just a crutch for some people?”

“I suppose that depends on what you were created for,” he answered. “If you were created for life without God, then he’s a crutch.

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