I shuffled through a crowd of people, trying to find someone to talk to. We were at a homeless shelter with our youth group, and we were hanging out talking with some people in the game room. Most of the people were playing games, or someone who didn't have much of an interest in talking to a teenager. I glanced in the corner and noticed a man sitting by himself. Unlit cigar tucked cautiously behind his ear, a hat covering his head, a half grown bristly beard, and dirt jammed under all of his fingernails, he didn't exactly look like a person who would be willing to talk with me. Still, I can at least try, I thought to myself. Walking over to him, I said hi and introduced myself. I asked if he liked the cooler weather we've been having. All I had to do was start small talk. Before long, he was telling me his life story.
He told me everything from his childhood memory of playing on the train tracks, to being laid off work and running into the homeless shelter. We talked for over an hour, and it was surprisingly easy to talk to him. All I had to do was ask him a few questions and he'd start pouring out more details from his life.
All this guy needed was for someone to listen to him. Someone to sympathize during the sad parts in his lifestory, someone to laugh with when he told a happy childhood memory, someone to understand that he wasn't a stereotyped homeless man.
There are many, many people in the world like that. Not all of them are homeless. Some just need someone to listen to. They need someone who will listen with their heart, to truly understand how they feel and love them regardless of what they've done. Will you be that listener?
Kayla Joy
