Ciprian

First impressions – I no longer believe that they are accurate in the least.

Last Thursday I arrived at work to see a new gentleman walking around the halls. I whispered to Damon in a spare moment, “Who is the new guy??” Damon shrugged. “His name is Cip.”

Cip’s face lacked any expression. He did not smile. He did not glare. He did not look confused. I brushed it off. After all, what was it to me? I would be quitting in only 7 days.

Chris came to me shortly and introduced us. It was then that I first noticed his accent. I could not quite place it. Russian? Romanian? Whatever it was, he sure grunted and did not act too excited to meet me or anyone else. Chris continued after introducing us by saying, “He is your replacement and you will be training him on the entire PTO side of the company. You can start training now if you like.”

I usually love training new employees. But because this new guy was so reserved I was immediately nervous about it. I got one smile out of him the whole first day – rather depressing.

During the second day he lightened up a bit and even confided in me that he had been extremely nervous the day before. I remembered that feeling all too well from my first day. At the end of the day Friday he even smiled and said, “Hey, have a nice weekend.”

Today marked the fourth day that we have worked together. I seriously doubt that fifteen minutes passed between times that we laughed about something, got a reaction out of one another, or talked about our families, music, or whatever else. During the middle of the day Nate came by where we were working and talked to Chip for a while as he gave him a project to do. He motioned for me to follow him out into the hall. Out of hear shot from Cip, Nate asked me how he was coming along. I told him that I was amazed at his progress. Nate smiled, “Good. He is a really faithful guy. His pastor speaks highly of him. He is at church every meeting and is involved in the choir. His dad passed away just a year ago. It hit him hard. You have probably noticed that he is reserved and sensitive.”

I walked slowly back to my workspace after this conversation. I wanted to kick myself. Why had I judged him so flippantly? I had gone home and told my mom that the guy I was training was, “Without expression and just rather interesting.” Well, there was a reason for it. How insensitive I had been!

The next time you meet someone that doesn’t fit the mold, consider that there may be a good reason for it. Instead of labeling someone as “interesting," pray that you can be used of the Lord in their lives to comfort them in their loss. Show them the joy that comes from knowing the Lord. Pour yourself into praying for them. They may be a Ciprian – someone of godly character who is working through hurtful experiences that are unknown to the eye of on lookers.