Silenced at an Italian eatery

I love hidden treasures.  A couple of weeks ago, I loved finding this quaint little Italian restaurant here in San Antonio.  It’s a place now high on our list of favorites, due in part to its beef lasagna and scrumptious chicken parmigiana.  The initial draw for us was the dinner theater they host there once a month.  Once we arrived and realized their family-style placement of tables in long rows, we very much enjoyed sharing the company of our assigned table-mates for the evening.  Our immediate group bridged an age span of probably 40 years, and quite remarkably we loved the conversation.  All kinds of discussions of jobs, schools, family, and hobbies, yet interestingly there was one particular point that caused our table to fall silent.  One of the men asked me how I came to work in theater, and I answered, “God called me there.” And suddenly everything halted.  No more words spoken, no more smiles, no more laughter.   I don’t know why exactly, but our section of the table sat motionless at that point.  I’ve wondered about it since then and have thought of several possible reasons, though I’ll never know for certain.  I imagine I could’ve answered the man's question by saying my husband suggested theater to me or that my friend called me about a theater job opening, and maybe the reaction of the table wouldn’t have brought silence.  But somehow the 3 words God called me threw a hiccup into the conversation.  Yet the idea of the Lord speaking to us is a very real thing.  I read again this morning in John 10 about Jesus our Shepherd calling to us.  We are His sheep, and our relationship with Him through listening and speaking certainly runs two-way.  In the days following that Friday night, I continued to pray for the Lord to bless our table companions.  For whatever reason the silence came, may He stir their curiosity, may He give them understanding, and may they know the depths of His love.