Please don't be offended if you see me staring.

At church this week, the sermon really focused on the importance of taking the time to really see the people around us. This really struck a chord with me. Sometimes I feel like I'm just rushing on to the next best thing and forget to observe my surroundings. I also know that I'm not the best listener. I often find myself spending more time planning out my response then actually hearing what the other person is saying.

Think about it. Ok, don't look, but what was your coworker or spouse wearing today? I sit right by the person I work the most with & I couldn't tell you what he is wearing. In fact, he could probably  be in his PJs and I wouldn't notice until later in the day.

Now, the person's appearance isn't the only important thing about really seeing people. They say that the eyes are the windows to the soul. How many times have you taken the time to actually look at someone and you can sense the sadness just by the expression on their face? What scares me is how many times I may have been talking with someone I know and missed that sadness, or dispair, or heartache, or anger, or any other type of emotion that I may have been able to help with them.

Just like I said in my earlier post on Still Waters (sorry, I'm horrible at taking the time to link back at those posts!). It is important for us to just stop and listen, or really see, what is going on around us. There may be a friend, neighbor, or even stranger standing right in front of us in desperate need of just hearing that they are noticed.