I went down to City College today for the weekly prayer meeting with the InterVarsity chapter there. The semester I've spent getting to know just a tiny bit about 'City' has been full of encounters. Not long and not necessarily deep, but often these are the kinds of encounters and passers-by that leave a strong impression. Today was no different. I spoke briefly with a woman getting people to sign a petition about the San Diego school board. She did not come across as a particularly strong advocate, chirping softly at those of us who walked by: "Are you a registered San Diego voter?" Peppered with occasional comments like, "Voting is an American freedom." One man responded gruffly, "I'm a convict. Can't vote."
Later, a student I've interacted with before hopped over a wall and exclaimed, "Habits sure are hard to kick."
[me]: Um, yeah, they can be.
Student: Chew.
...?...
-I should stop chewing and spitting.
-Oh. Yeah. Gross. (I see the wad in his lower lip now.) You know how terrible that is, right?
-Yeah, I'm going to stop. My girlfriend - soon-to-be-girlfriend - is sick right now.
-Sorry to hear that--
-She has a UTI. So when she's better...
-(In my head: I don't want to know!!!) Well are your classes going okay?
-Except math, yes. I think I'll stay pre-med, but I'll just have to see if that's how God wants to use me... Well, I'll see you later! Hug! Bye!
There was the usual mix of activity on the quad: Spanish-speaking soccer players, cell phone conversations, shouted interactions from sidewalk to sidewalk, people enjoying the sunshine, students rushing to class. Surrounded by all this, we laid out our blankets and started prayer time with a little scripture study. The student leader I've been supporting through the semester led a time of reading and reflecting on the passage where Jesus prays for his disciples, and she reminded the 6 of us gathered about Jesus' prayer that extends to US ("all those who will believe because of [the disciples'] message"). We took time to pray together for friends and classmates, people around us for whom God cares.
While we prayed, I kept my eyes open. You know, on the lookout for leaping students, errant soccer balls, and latecomers to our open-air prayer meeting. You just never know. In addition to all of the above coming our way, what really caught my attention today, though, was a small encounter. There in the grass by my foot was an ant struggling mightily, flopping back and forth. I tried not to be too obviously distracted as I leaned in to look more closely. This ant was trying to PULL a small caterpillar/ grub/ worm-thing-- to drag him somewhere. What is he, crazy? I thought. Why, and how, and why not get help? Lots of other ants scurried around, but none of the others seemed to think that lending 6 legs to the worm-transport effort was a good idea. In the meantime, I prayed and listened as others prayed. At one point I looked back to the ant-worm fiasco to find that the ant had left, given up. Strangely, I felt sad. After some 15 minutes of tugging and re-positioning, the ant had moved on.
Wanting to be attentive, but not over-sensitive, I wondered why it was sad for a ridiculously small insect to abandon a gargantuan and questionable task. I wondered if God was saying anything. I wondered if I've (metaphorically) been an ant or a worm or a distracted onlooker. I wondered what gives an ant the imagination to think, sure, I'll give this a try. And what does the floppy grub-worm think about it all?
At City College, the encounters are often a little weird. And ministry can seem a bit improbable. My prayer, however, is that Jesus and his fumbling fisher-folk disciples would remind and instruct us to give it a try. Whether we are tugged or tugging, let us take heart at the good news and the Lord's favor.