behind every upbeat expression.. hidden under every downcast countenance you come across.. is an interesting story to hear if you could simply draw near.
some stories aren't explained with many words.. some are filled with bruises n tears.. some have wounds n cuts that run deep n you don't hear a peep. some are of perhaps embarrassment or slander or rip-offs ..or paranoid angst that steals their sleep.
and some are not so bad but those with em simply won't tell.
i know a high school-er who wanted to tell all about all her friends, but didn''t want her sister to hear. timing!
i know a divorcée who couldn't even call his kids, cuz their mother would never answer the ring ..but it sure left a sting. he'd been to court so many times.
under the guy sleepin' down there on that sidewalk—there's a an important narrative. he's someone's son that just didn't make it home.
with that quiet teen in the back of the bus is a story to tell. Maybe he won't, but no one tries to see.
what about with you or those who come around?
perhaps there's a story of victory? one of poverty? a story of long misery or of song? or of joblessness ..or of promotion or of love.
ran into a hard working old friend on a deep night shift. it was yesterday night at eleven. hadn't seen him in some 20 years. He wasn't a Christian when I first met him, but now he is at age 48 n is. has a big smile and an interesting story to tell, but he also has cancer n yet dreams of landing a different job.
please pray for constantine. he has quite a story to tell.
what have you heard? is there a story of need or of barrenness—ya know, no child has ever come along for their family? that's very hard. its even hard sometimes when they do come a long. ask my wife—she has a story to tell.
i once had an old english aunt that we'd often go see. she lived all alone but was humorous n very hospitable—so sweet! yup, she fed my friends well every time we came by. and she had a story to tell ..in the late afternoon after the school bell. great laugh—sometimes a chuckle. kind smile. good cook! man what stories she could splain..we'd laugh til we felt pain. she also loved to garden in laguna beach n would show us all her plants.
we were shocked to hear that one night she was raped. a "crazy" got in through her window. she lived a few more years..with tears. you and i just never know how long we'll have with those in our lives. we need to love them and make each day count for eternity ..while we can.
saw a heart wrenching video of a man in new york yesterday who tried to stop a robbery outside, but he got stabbed near a street gutter and there he motionless lye. that was someone's son, but the passersbys couldn't stop or even call 911. fear of interrogation, of accusation, of involvement, of retribution.. who knows. have we really become like this? no one even had the time, but several just walked on bye ..in these last days before the Church flys.
stories of misuse or of rejection. stories of failure or of no will to try again. We're surrounded by so many stories that briefly stop or just walk on bye. hey we don't wanna pry, o no, even though some start to cry.
no, let's stop n take the time. let's seek to hear from God, yes inquire.
some questions are more than appropriate—some actions are too.
are we, in this hyper-networked society, just too busy to take interest ..face to face.. perhaps seein' through all that southern lace?
some people today can be such a time-suck we say so we duck. do we only want to hear from the beautiful.. the healthy.. the non-old.. the non-poor.. the non-cold ..just to see what might unfold ..for us?
maybe you do take some time for the non-popular n unseemly—good for you! the poor don't go by the tile poor, but we can still show em to the Door.
"Oh, that My people would listen to Me, that Israel would walk in My ways! ~Psalm 81:13, nkjv
"There was once a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. On the way he was attacked by robbers. They took his clothes, beat him up, and went off leaving him half-dead. Luckily, a priest was on his way down the same road, but when he saw him he angled across to the other side. Then a Levite religious man showed up; he also avoided the injured man. A Samaritan traveling the road came on him. When he saw the man's condition, his heart went out to him. He gave him first aid, disinfecting and bandaging his wounds. Then he lifted him onto his donkey, led him to an inn, and made him comfortable. In the morning he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, 'Take good care of him. If it costs any more, put it on my bill—I'll pay you on my way back.' What do you think? Which of the three became a neighbor to the man attacked by robbers?" ~Luke 10:30, msg
hearts can grow so cold, hard, fearful and so indifferent. allow it not with you! we know not where those peeps exactly are in their journey of life ..and won't unless we ask them. but where n how do we Christians even start?
let's start on our knees each day. So many look like they're doing well, but some wear masks n many just fake it well. We're simply not together with em that long to tell. too isolation and loneliness and emptiness and regret in our very connected socially adept world?
