An Invitation to Conversation

On Thursdays, I BJ’s. I drop Isaac off at co-op, and I head just down the road to our local BJ’s. I had just started a podcast on the three minutes it takes me to get there, and as I was gathering my things to get out of my vehicle, I was tempted to grab my AirPods, put at least one in, hide it behind my hair, and continue listening to my podcast while I shopped.

Now there is nothing wrong with wanting to do this, but I just felt this nudge to not do it. I knew I could finish it later in the day, and so I left them in my car and headed in to shop. I knew what I needed to get. My coupons were clipped. And I thought this would be a quick trip.

But God had other plans.

On the cleaning products aisle, I ran into an old friend. We chatted and laughed. We hugged and encouraged one another in the Lord. We caught each other up on our “kids” — my boys, her girls. It was nice. It blessed us both and made us smile.

And that conversation led to another.

A few minutes later, back at the deli, a lady approached me, apologized if her reason for striking up a conversation seemed odd, and proceeded to tell me she was new to the area and couldn’t help but overhear my conversation with my friend moments earlier. She was craving connection. We chatted about church, community, and how different life had been for the past year and a half. We exchanged contact information, and are planning on having coffee soon.

And that conversation led to another.

After I added a few more items to my cart, as I was pulling a package of deodorant off the shelf, yet another lady approached me with a similar salutation as the last conversation. “I hope you don’t mind, I heard you talking to the lady at the deli and you seemed really friendly and approachable...” She was not new to the area, but she was new to BJ’s and had some questions. We chatted about coupons and the app and a little bit of this and that, and quite honestly, it was lovely, and she was so grateful I took the time to explain these things.

So, as I walked toward the check out and checked the last item off my list, I thanked God for the invitation to conversation He had extended to me before I even stepped foot in the store.

It made me realize how much I’m on my phone and in the zone and how much that affects my body language and tone. Saying yes to an invitation to conversation extends that invitation to others.

3 conversations. Each leading to the next. Invitations to conversations.

How will you say yes to an invitation to conversation today?