Exploring the Seasons Moment By Moment

One Building… February 28, 2011

Professionally I find myself in a multiple settings and environments.  My work takes me to various locations around the city and beyond.  There is one location in particular where my presence is not appreciated or wanted…part of the time.

My position is one that is a “political minefield” where I must trend lightly so that I do not upset the preexisting bureaucracy that has been established well before my time.  There is one location, a building where I have not only caused a few mines to blow, but the landscape has been left barren with the stink of death rising from the soil.  Relationships have been broken, and my mere presence causes people to become tense and paranoid towards any activity I partake in.  I recently spent a day at this location and it took me a few hours to recover after leaving.  I could feel the anger and the feelings of being unwanted in the air when I spoke or was glanced upon.  I am not used to this feeling.  Most people in this world enjoy my presence. 

Here is where the twist lies …this is only for the day time staff.  For the night time staff love me and I them.  Laughter is heard, relationships are strengthen, and only good times happens.  When I walk in the building at night, faces light up at my entrance, and genuine interest is given towards my life.  This is of course returned to their own lives as we share each other’s stories. 

What a paradox this place is! A single building which causes my gut to ache and yet my soul to rejoice – depending on the time of day.  This truly is an example of two extremes being met in one place, and the clash that occurs upon the meeting.  There is no hope or desire to change how either party feels about me; the truth is that the day time people will always dislike me and the night time people will like me. 

The amazing thing to me is to realize Christ in the midst of this craziness.  Clearly I could speak about how Christ is in the evening fellowship where laughter is shared, but the truth is that Christ is even in the daytime discomfort because all things are redeemed through Christ.  This hard truth can be revealed because this building could symbolize only negative thoughts and reactions, but the night time staff redeem those thoughts.  Is this how Christ redeems our lives?  I think when it is all said and done, Christ will even mend the relationship between the day folks and myself, but for now we continue to live in brokenness. 

I am sure that there are more lessons to realize through this paradox, but for now, my mind is full.  For now, I must settle for having things as they are – being hated during the day and loved at night.