new guy in our Bible study

I love my Monday evening Bible Study/ Men's small group.

I have really been enjoying our study of the Gospel of Luke, among other books, and learning how God speaks to us...well, me, though words written 2000 years ago.

And I also enjoy the back end of our evenings, when the four or five of us are able to share what's going on in our lives in a safe, non-judgmental environment. For the most part, if one guy is dealing with a particular issue, at least one other guy in the room has been there before, and can offer support and encouragement from experience.

We had new guy join us tonight. I think he sometimes attends the church where we meet.
We had an interesting discussion about Jairus and his daughter, from the first chapter of Luke.
Someone snuck a grab at the cloak of Jesus, and it turns out that the daughter was only sleeping.

When we transitioned into our personal sharing time, the new guy went first, and kept going for nearly an hour. He was clearly in some fresh, raw pain, and he had chosen to join us tonight to share and vent, instead of drinking at home. His life situation is complex, confusing, and painful, and we shared and encouraged as much as we felt our limitations would allow.

But I remember having a regrettable thought after the new guy had been talking for at least thirty minutes. I remember, for a moment thinking that this new guy was taking up too much of our Bible study time, and he was cutting into the time I needed to talk about MY stuff.

But about as quickly as I had that thought, I was struck with a moment of Spiritual wisdom.

I realized that God had a hand in drawing the new guy into visiting our group tonight, and it seemed clear that God wanted our group to give the guy our unselfish and undivided attention and support. No guarantees on how it all might turn out for him, but he was aching to be heard,
and it was much less important tonight for me to speak, than is was for me to listen.

And I did listen. And parts of his story were achingly familiar to me, and after I listened, I was able to share with him some insight on the time I had spent in that same hole.
He listened, and he heard, and he may have even taken some valuable nugget with him that will help him in his next vulnerable moment.

I have been struggling with some life issues recently, and I often ask God as I pray to show me what my purpose is supposed to be here on Earth. But I also have been asking Him to show me how I can be serving Him here on Earth.

Tonight He showed me a glimpse of His answer, and His Grace.

He asked me to be still, and listen.