Religion is a complicated thing. Everyone has a different perception and relationship with religion. Out of respect for our differences, I rarely bring religion up in conversation with friends.
So you can imagine my surprise when my friend Kari turned to me suddenly and asked: "What is your relationship with God like? How do you perceive Jesus?"
Kari and I got locked down together on Monday. I was on my way to pick up Pedro for some testing when the school went into lock down mode due to an armed bank robbery down the street. Lock the doors. Close the blinds. No one in or out of the room. No phone usage. For hours.
(I would like to take this moment to thank God for letting the lock down happen when I was walking by Kari's room, since I was very nearly locked down with my nemesis...Pedro.)
After Kari asked me about my religious beliefs, my immediate reaction was to get uncomfortable. Oh crap, is she going to try to convert me? Is she going to judge me or want me to go to some church?
Turns out, she just needed some space to process her own religious journey. And once we started talking, I realized that I did as well. Looking back on this conversation, I am embarrassed that I got uncomfortable when she brought up religion. I know now that it's ok to talk about it, and it's ok to not be sure how to talk about it.
So there we were. Doors locked. Blinds closed. No phones. No bathroom. Just us. Forced to talk about things that make us nervous and scared and sad and excited. I can't really put my finger on it, but this conversation felt good.
They say God works in mysterious ways. And while I'm pretty sure God didn't endorse the bank robbery, I'm pretty sure he endorsed the lock down.
