See People…

In February of 2016 I was traveling home from Florida after a wonderful time of visiting family and friends. I had left very early in the morning and wanted to reach Nashville, Tennessee before stopping for the night. I took a break to get gas and walk around a craft store to stretch my legs. As I was coming out of the store on the way to my car, I saw an older man carrying a large, helium-filled balloon that said, “Happy Birthday!” It wasn’t your typical size balloon. It was huge…the biggest one you can buy. As our paths intersected, I made eye-contact and said, “Wow, someone is going to be happy today!” He paused. I paused. He said, “It’s for my wife…” Another pause. And then he told me his story. His wife had died and this was his first birthday without her. He was heading to the cemetery to visit her grave and celebrate her life.

In the conversation that followed, I expressed sympathy for the loss of his wife and the sweetness of his gift for her. I watched him get into his truck, maneuver the huge balloon inside, and drive off.

I spent the rest of my day reflecting on the moment, the pause, and the privilege of hearing his story. I think of our interaction often and how grateful I am for the memory of that moment of pause. If I hadn’t acknowledged him as our paths crossed, I would have missed a beautiful moment. I would have missed the opportunity see him. To enter into his story.

Hear People…

I remember another time at a Ladies Retreat when I was sitting around a campfire with a few women as the evening was winding down. One of the ladies had recently lost her Mom and was sharing details of all that had happened and the emotions she was still working through. When she took a breath, another lady said, “Well I remember when my mom…” and that was as far as she got into her story because the woman who had been sharing first, clinched her fists, hit her legs, and said with complete frustration, “This is my story, this is my Mom.”

And you know what? She was exactly right. Oh how my heart hurt for her. So many times when someone shares their story, we feel the need to share ours. We don’t! Stay in their moment. Stay with their story. Be present for them.

Be Present with People…

I went to the grocery store one morning at 6 a.m. to get in, pick up a few things, and get out. I was having company for dinner and had a busy day ahead. I was in a hurry.  The only open lane was the self-check out. I scanned my items quickly, picked up my bag, and as I turned to leave, the lady responsible for the self-check out area, began to talk. I knew her, but I was in a hurry. She started to tell me her story…I continued holding onto my bag, wanting to leave. I was listening respectfully, but was not being fully present. I was in a hurry, remember? Then I felt like God said, “Linda, put down the bag.” So I did. Twenty minutes later I left the store, praying for this beautiful woman who had entrusted me with her story of brokenness. That morning, God taught me the importance of presence over productivity.

See people. Hear people. Be present.

We lead busy lives. We have “to do” lists, jobs, responsibilities, schedules, meetings, and all sorts of distractions from technology and social media. Constant busyness. Constant pressures.

We need to pause. We need to see people. We need to listen. We need to hear their story. Most of all, we need to love.

Jesus is the Master Teacher of unconditional love. We see through His life countless times when He paused, spoke, and loved. He spoke to the Woman at the Well in John 4, he saw Zacchaeus in Luke 19, He listened to the ten lepers in Luke 17. He saw them all. He loved them all.

We need to be present. Stay in the moment. Genuinely care. Listening takes discipline. It requires intentionality. We must always be aware of how God can use us, even if we think we don’t have time.

God will always make a way for us to listen if we want to!

Do you want to?

One of my personal goals for this blog is to end with a plan of action. We hear sermons, we read books, and we attend conferences. We may comment, “that was a really good message,” or “your talk sure made me laugh,” or “that book was interesting,” but does anything in our life really change? Our behavior, our attitudes, our thoughts, our words?

I have committed to write a monthly blog for one year. Twelve thoughts. Twelve life-experiences. Twelve lessons God has taught and is continuing to teach me. Thank you for coming along on this journey with me. Will you go a step further and put love into action with me?

This month, I want us to commit to doing 3 things:

1. Be intentional in listening.
2. Let people tell their story without telling yours.
3. Be present and “put down the bag.”