The more I interact with others…shopping, standing in line, passing by in the hallway somewhere…department stores, elevators, bus-stops, restaurants, gas stations, or just walking up and down the sidewalk, the more I notice people want, need recognition, acceptance. They desire to be noticed for who they are, even if they don’t look like it, even if they have their face bent towards their phone or head down reading a book, they want to be noticed, acknowledged and appreciated.

‘Well that’s a mouthful for you to say’, you might say. ‘He looks angry, she appears stuck-up, they look busy, I’m not going to interrupt and bother them’. I don’t mean strike up a lengthy conversation…just a pleasant, ‘Hi’, or ‘Hello, how are you today?’ Or ‘Isn’t this a beautiful day?’ (even if it’s not, it still is, because we’re alive:) Or we might surprise them by telling them we like their hair style, or their outfit, or what a wonderful family they have….something, anything positive to break the silence in so many lives, yearning for contact with another human being that even though they may appear busy—hiding behind their phone or book they still yearn for attention.

God has made us to need other people.

Catch people off guard with something positive, kind or helpful to say to them and watch it brighten their day. Whether you see the result of not, even the most grouchy person will feel the warmth of care when someone speaks kindly to them.

Yes, you can, we can, change the temperature, so to speak, in another person’s life just by loving them.

I have on purpose, ‘butted into people’s lives’ as they were all engrossed in their phone while they walked down the sidewalk to tell them, ‘Hi! Nice day out isn’t it?’ with the express purpose of sharing a bit of unasked for human kindness to brighten their day.  They look up surprised and then, when they realize, I am talking to them, they respond with a smile and a ‘Hi’ back. Not all have, but they still heard me and knew someone was thinking about them.

It would surprise us if we knew how much alike we all are, wanting acceptance from another person. We have become experts at hiding ourselves from others, and it is injuring us on the inside.

Give acceptance and loving care to other people. They need to receive it and we need to give it so we both can be made whole.

Begin today and reach out more to others.