Not that long ago, it seemed like people would take the time to get to know others around them. They would talk and discuss all kinds of things. Today in my opinion, people just feel so disconnected.
I title this post Everyone Hurts and that is true. At some point in time, every person has some hurt in their life. You may have had a short hurt or it could have lasted for years and still may be ongoing.
These days when someone is hurting, we tell them to go see a therapist. When all they need is a person they can just talk to for a few seconds and to know that the person is actually listening.
Tonight, there was a song playing about a person who thought they were so good looking. After the song ended, a person at the gym said something about the song and to be honest I was not really paying attention to it. Anyway, he went on to say that he was engaged to this woman who lost 10 pounds and not she thought she was all of that and more. He told me that he did not know, but suspected that she was cheating on him. Today he went by where she worked and apparently she got a bit upset. He described her as person who use to be nice and sweet and now she looked like a hooker. After he vented calmly for a few minutes, he apologized for interrupting my workout. I told him that was ok, that sometimes people just need to vent and get things off their chest. As he walked away I told him that I hoped he was doing ok and getting better. His reply was one day at a time, but I am slowly getting there.
I mentioned this because the interaction may have taken all of 5 minutes. Did he interrupt me? Yes. However, was it really a bother? No. I am glad I could be there for the few minutes he needed just to talk. Hopefully, he was able to vent just enough to allow him to heal faster.
As Christians, we need to be aware that there is a great deal of hurt these days and to be honest people just have no where to go. I cannot count the number of times my mother has come to talk to me about the hurt my father has caused. Of course being the son, I want to go smack the snot out of my father, but what would that accomplish. Instead I just listen and when she is done, she apologizes for the things she said. However, she was hurting and just needed to vent to someone and it just so happened to be me.
Tonight made me think about the past. I remember when people would just tell me everything. Why? Because I listened. I did not offer advice, I offered them a shoulder to cry on. Then something happened, people have not been telling me as much as they use too. So why? All I can think of is that maybe I did not pay attention to them as much when they were talking or I gave them the impression that they did not matter. However, as children of God, we all matter.
I pray that if people are coming to you to talk, that you take the time to listen. Pray for them so that they will find peace. It is easy to get riled up and want to get involved and take on their pain, but you cannot do that. Just listen, you will be amazed how that one simple act of kindness could change a persons life and for Christians, it is an easy way to demonstrate Christ’s love, In Jesus name I pray, Amen.