There were five of them,
gathering over drinks--
their first happy hour
in over a year.
"It's so good to be together again,"
said Hope.
She raised her glass:
"To the end of the pandemic."
"Here, here," said all,
lifting their glasses.
"And to friendship," said Grace.
"I've missed you guys so much."
Pax cleared his throat,
"So, I have a question for us.
Throughout my isolation,
I'm come to more deeply appreciate many things,
but especially my faith.
It's gotten me through."
He paused.
Peter leaned forward,
"And so the question is...?"
"The question," said Pax, "is this:
What does God mean to you?"
"Oh, that's good," said Sophie.
"I've had similar thoughts.
When I lost my job,
couldn't see family,
couldn't travel,
couldn't go to church--
well, there was lots of down time
for serious reflection.
What does God mean to me?
I am set free."
She said it again more slowly:
"I...am...set...free."
"Nice," said Peter. "Free."
He swirled the wine in his glass.
"For me, it's this:
I am always okay.
No matter what's going on,
no matter what I'm facing--
I am okay."
"The isolation has been so hard for me,"
said Grace, taking a deep breath.
"Even though we've emailed,
talked on the pone,
Skyped some,
it's not the same.
I want to exchange hugs,
or just look into your eyes.
So what God means to me is this:
I am never alone.
Never. Alone. Ever.
I've clung to that so often."
Hope spoke next:
"A great question, Pax.
I appreciate your asking it."
She waited before continuing,
"I've been reading Julian of Norwich,
and she reminds us that
to know God means knowing that whatever happens,
'All shall be well, and all shall be well,
and all manner of things shall be well.'
So I guess God means to me that,
no matter how grim things may seem,
everything will work out the way God intends.
I take great comfort in this."
Sophie said,
"It's your question, Pax,
so how would you answer?"
Pax sipped his wine, then said:
"I matter,
by which I mean,
there's a reason, a purpose
for me being here.
Sometimes it seems pretty murky,
but I have a part to play,
a necessary part.
I matter."
They sat in contented silence
until Pax said,
"Let's recap.
What does God mean to you?"
"I am set free," said Sophie.
"I am always okay," said Peter.
"I am never alone," said Grace.
"Everything is working out as God intends," said Hope.
"I matter," said Pax.
and then added, "We all matter."
He raised his glass once again,
and the others followed suit.
"Here's to a better year ahead.
And the next time we meet,
the question will be:
What do you mean to God?"
Clink.
Text and image © 2020 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved.
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