How can I look past myself and see Christ in those I encounter? This week, I’ve spent hours listening to people tell their stories…and often, the more chaotic their lives have been recently, the more they need to talk. And they talk, and talk, and talk…and I often drift off and stop listening. I don’t let on, but I disconnect from the life they’re expressing to me…I disconnect from them. It’s human, but it’s also sad to me…because I disconnect from Christ in those moments as well.
In every hurting person is a deep desire to be known…to be valued…to be accepted. So often, the simplest of things can meet that need: a smile to the mom in line at the grocery store paying with food stamps, eye contact with the beggar sitting in a doorway downtown, patience to listen to the long, drawn out story of someone in need. When we stop to listen, its not even so much about the words they speak…its about presence. It’s about being present to listen to the outward expression of an internal desire to be recognized…to be given a voice in a world they feel has written them off.
Christ challenges us to see Him among those who would seek our help, our recognition. For me, He often appears most clearly in those I’d rather not take the time to hear, those that press my buttons or touch that ‘all-about-me’ part of me. We like things tidy and easy…we like people to play by our rules, to allow us to remain closed and disconnected from their pain, sorrow and poverty. Jesus invites us into this discomfort…and our response inevitably leads us into our own pain, sorrow and poverty. And here begins true healing.
Jesus, give me the grace to recognize you, to be present, and to listen….so that I might know you more clearly, love you more dearly, and follow you more nearly.
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