Trying To Figure It All Out
We finally got together with Jenna for dinner last Monday evening. She left a message on our answering machine Sunday while we were at church, so I called back that night after she had gotten home from work. We talked for almost two hours. Or I should say, she talked for two hours. I could hardly get a word in edgewise, but I have other friends that are very talkative and I’ve learned to just listen, nod my head, and say “uh huh” every once in a while. She was quite funny and entertaining though, so I actually rather enjoyed the conversation.
Some of the things she told me about her previous life in a larger city were a little hard to believe, but I tried to keep an open mind. It’s ironic that I have often been more trusting with romantic interests than I am with potential new friends.
We made plans to meet at a local restaurant the next evening, which would give both my partner and I a chance to get to know her better. We met at 6 o’clock and didn’t leave the restaurant until 9:30. I learned over the course of the evening that we have mutual acquaintances, so we shared much laughter and gossip. She repeated her same incredible stories from the night before, but this time with more detail so that they were a little easier to swallow. A few red flags did go up during the conversation, mainly over the way she so frankly discussed her dire financial situation and all the drama that seems to constantly surround her.
She mentioned several times during our conversation that we were more than welcome to come to her home to meet her dog and cats – something that surprised both of us, considering how trusting she seemed of two men that she really knows very little about. The phone rang as soon as we got home to invite us over for a couple of hours the next night, but I gracefully declined, unsure of how close I’m willing to get at this point.
As Honey and I discussed the evening, we concluded that neither of us are very trusting of new acquaintances and that we need to give this some time. We are both a little concerned about whether Jenna is a needy person – both financially and emotionally – and if so, what a friendship with her might look like. On the other hand, perhaps she is just lonely and feels completely comfortable discussing personal issues with us. Regardless of any misgivings, that little verse from Hebrews keeps going through my head.
Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. – Hebrews 13:2
While it is important that we don’t allow ourselves to be taken advantage of, I also want to make sure that we don’t allow our lack of trust to prevent us from developing a meaningful relationship with another human being. One important thing I’ve learned so far in life: new relationships are delicate and can often reveal just as much to us about ourselves as they do about the other person.
