Having Tete a Tete

Private conversations are always the best way to convey you care.

On my youngest daughter‘s eleventh birthday, I inadvertently made an fascinating discovery.  We were sitting at our kitchen table reading a poem for school when we happened upon this word: tete a tete.  She read the word while laughing at how it sounded.  Neither of us knew what it meant, so I looked it up and learned it means a private conversation between two people.

Despite the odd sounding title, deep down inside of us, I believe we all want someone to have tete a tete with us.  Perhaps with a parent, a friend, a spouse, someone we admire or someone we hold dear.

For instance, in just the past month I have unsuspectingly had tete a tete with all those I love in my direct family.  Whether it is having a coffee with my son in Iowa or reading a book with my eldest daughter or a poem with my youngest daughter in Pennsylvania or watching a DVD with my wife on our living room sofa. Sort of like divine appointments, but all private conversations with ones I love. 

However, I would be remiss if I did not highly recommend that we all should be having private conversations with God on a daily basis.  My most dramatic discussion came fourteen years ago, during a time in my life where I was fighting hard not to lose hope.  It was during this tragic period where the ones I loved most were all in a hospital and I was left feeling useless.  The only one I truly could hold tete a tete with at that moment was Almighty God.  I told Him gut level honest what I was feeling, asking Him to give me a purpose and then I stopped to listen.  Like a voice in my head I could hear Him speak, “Aaron, do you trust me.”

Sadly, up to that point for thirty two years of my life, I think I was trying to do life using God as my consultant. At that moment God revealed to me that he is capable of far more than I could ever imagine and always does best.  He just asks me to trust and obey and He will take care of the rest. Speaking from experience, time after tested time, God has proven worthy of that trust.

Case in point, fourteen years later after my private conversation with God, He is still amazing me.  The very fact my eleven year old Chinese daughter and I could be having tete a tete at beginning of this story defies logic.  It didn’t happen by accident, it was a God thing.  For my eleven year old to even be available to be my daughter God saw to it that many people took excellent care of her for eight years  half a world away.  Then, God motivated many people to help a crazy couple who were simply trusting God to raise support to get her to my kitchen table.  And now thanks to God and all those who obeyed Him, I can read poems with my daughter and fully understand what having tete a tete truly means.

 Having a memorable tete a tete consists of availability, obedience, and good ear.

Swavel