How Is Your Communication?

Back in the early nineties, Pastor Harold Davis sent me his newsletter reporting this story of a delicate, rather elegant and old fashioned lady, who was a tad like the rest of us. She and her hubby planned a vacation in Florida, so she wrote a potential campground asking about reservations.

Wanting to be sure the camp was fully serviced, she inquired awkwardly about the restroom facilities, but did not know how to verbalize herself and avoid using the word “toilet.” With naïve simplicity; she finally asked, “Does the campground have its own B. C.?” — bathroom commode?

The camp Manager was far less old fashioned but he was stumped by her term “its own B.C.” After considerable searching about, including asking some of his clients, he concluded his potential customer must be asking about a local Baptist Church.

"Dear Madam,” he wrote, “I regret very much the delay in answering your letter, but I now take the pleasure of informing you that there is a B.C. just nine miles from the campground and it is capable of seating 250 people at one time. I admit it is a considerable distance if you are in the habit of going regularly, but you will no doubt be pleased to know a number of people take their lunches along and make a day out of it. They usually arrive early and stay late.

"The last time my wife and I attended was six years ago, and it was so crowded we had to stand up the entire time there. It may interest you to know that there is presently a supper being planned for the purpose of raising money to buy more seats and it will be held in the basement of the B.C.

“I would like to add that it pains me greatly not to go more regularly but it is for no lack of desire on my part. As we grow older, it seems to be more of an effort, particularly in cold weather. If you should decide to use our campground,  perhaps I could go with you the first time and sit with you, and introduce you to the other folks. Remember, this is a friendly community.”

Is this a hysterical miscommunication? Obviously, it is. 

BUT, it comes with a point most of us readily understand – how are we communicating our daily walk with God? What does our lifestyle say to our friends and neighbors? Is God of any real importance to me, based on how I care about people? What attitude do I show about reaching out to others? What does my lifestyle, my political practice, and my behavior-in-word-and-deed actually communicate to others? Are my beliefs and behaviors  integrated enough that they truly reveal what I want to communicate to others?

This is walkingwithwarner.blogspot.com …

… are we a little like the elegant little lady who failed to be clear about what she was trying to communicate, simply because she could not bring herself to use the more direct word?