Date: 6/29/2010
<br>Author: Devin
<br>Title: Open your eyes and listen
<br><br>June 30, 2010<br><br><br>I would bet that not one single person who reads this will know who I speak of, but, I could almost guarantee that most will know someone like him.  I ran into the subject of my article this morning and ask him how he was doing, though by the look on his face, I think I already knew the true answer. He responded, as we all do when we are lying through our teeth, with a polite, “Oh, I'm doin alright”.  Not buying that for one minute, my nose got deeper into his business.  I asked him how his family was and he said, “Well, OK I guess.  My wife and I are getting a divorce”.  Now, there it was ..... I wasn't exactly sure what it was when I first began talking with him, but I knew for sure he had something brewing underneath that false front exterior.  We then proceeded to chat a moment about where he was going to move, how his young children were handling it, and some of the other issues that are brought about by this type of unfortunate, albeit way too common situation that many families find themselves in.<br><br><br>Problems.  Struggles.  Difficulties.  Valleys.  Heartache.  Pain.  Distress.  Tribulation.  Call it what you want, but as long as you inhale and exhale on a regular basis, you're gonna have some of them regardless of what you choose to call them ..... and so will everyone else around you.  Right now, this very second, someone in your vicinity is having a hard time ..... I mean a REALLY hard time.  It might be a family situation like my buddy above or it may be something completely different, but, whatever it is, you may be within arms reach of someone who is experiencing one of the lowest points of their entire lives.  The question I pose is this ..... What are YOU gonna do? Yes, YOU.  Oh, we have all kinds of cop-out answers.  “I don't want to be nosy and get into their business”.  “I have so much going on myself that I just don't have time to get involved”, and the excuses go on and on and on.  As I read the lines in my Bible, especially the red ones, I find that God wants me to get involved in the lives of others.  Jesus told us the story of the Good Samaritan not as a bed time story but rather as a piece of our instruction manual for life.  As a Christian, I need to learn how to read body language.  I need to master the art of being able to hear people scream for help when they are not using their audible voice to do it.  One of the greatest ways to become a tremendous blessing to everyone you come in contact with is to learn to hear with your eyes.  Sometimes we can learn far more about a person from what they don't say rather than what comes out of the compartment that houses their teeth.  Someone is probably screaming at you right now.  Please, for their sake, open your eyes and see it.  <br><br>Go the extra mile - Devin<br><br><br><br><br><br><br>          <br>