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“Let mutual love continue. 2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.”
– Hebrews 13:2
As an introvert, I marvel at, or am envious of, those affable, gregarious folks who turn strangers into friends quicker than I can switch from NBC to Netflix. I’ve traveled with friends for whom it doesn’t matter if the plane lands in Peoria or Peshawar, they are going to connect with an acquaintance from the past before they even get out of the airport. Unfortunately, that’s not how I roll. I think I have some of the tools for espionage, because I can leave a city, and no one will know I was even there. Thus, the idyllic narrative of travelers dining or even engaging with someone they’ve just encountered in a city they do not know is the stuff of fiction for me. It doesn’t seem to be a tool I possess to pack in my suitcase.
And yet… the Spirit of God seldom pays much attention to my comfort level. Having never been to the West Coast, Donna and I shared a wonderful journey to San Francisco and the central California coast. Say what you will about the Golden State, but what a joy to behold its inventory of beautiful vistas; and the cool temperatures of a coastal June … Glory, hallelujah!!
On our last full day in San Francisco, we headed out for a morning in the Muir Woods. We stopped along the way in Sausalito, just because it sounds cool to say you stopped in Sausalito. While walking along the waterfront, we were approached by a stranger asking for directions as though we would have a clue. We were aliens in a different universe, so we’d be lucky to find our way back to our rental car. Yet, we wanted to be helpful if we could. The gentleman’s first language was French, and his English was limited. He pulled out a map and asked if we could point him toward the shuttle to Muir Woods. His map of Sausalito might has well have been the chemical formula for Amoxicillin because we weren’t going to be able to make any sense of it. He smiled, seeming to catch on that we were clueless, and wished us well.
As we returned to the car (found it!), we looked at one another and simultaneously observed, “He’s looking for the shuttle to Muir Woods. We’re going to Muir Woods. If we see him, let’s offer to give him a ride. (Cue the ominous music of your mom’s soundtrack reciting the terrors that await those picking up strangers, a soundtrack that plays differently for introverts and extroverts.)
So, we spot him along the sidewalk at the edge of town and offer him a ride. He slowly climbed in, undoubtedly hearing his own mom’s soundtrack about getting in the car with strangers. Yet, he was gentle in manner and speech, covering up his anxiety with kindness. Meanwhile, I was covering up my anxiety with a shotgun blast of small talk questions, oblivious to the reality that he wouldn’t comprehend 4/5ths of what I was saying. He meekly reminded me that he couldn’t quite understand everything I was saying, so I slowed my chatter to walking speed and stuck with the basics.
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