I am reminded everyday of the pervasiveness of pain and suffering all around me. Suffering holds no prejudices and knows no boundaries. It is not indigenous to one gender, ethnicity or socioeconomic class. Sadness, tears, fear ridden faces, weary eyes…these are not exclusively the expressions of hurting people.

Outer adornments can mask much inner adversity. Sometimes our culture, our standing and our position in society can be chains that shackle us in shame to pain and trials that make days lonely, long and weary. Let us not be fooled by false embellishments that serve to mask pain, but may we all seek to see through the wallpapered exteriors of those around us to the true state of hearts that desperately need to be recognized and known.

I think it’s easy to fall into the faulty line of thinking that because someone appears to “have it all, ” they need nothing.  The things that sometimes look like “happiness,” a nice house, nice car, beautiful family… are the fallible things of this world that lure people into security, but serve as little protection from the realities of this life.

May we seek deep interest and intention in every eye we look into this day and each day forward. Intention to not only see what is visible, but to sense what is invisible. We are called to love people. Love commands knowing people, and growing people. That encompasses much more than asking, “How are you?” I am guilty of asking this question in passing with the intent of getting the packaged, well rehearsed and convenient answer, “I’m fine.”

Being an intentional friend, and loving people well is not efficient . If we are not getting messy with people, we are not knowing people. May we all be good stewards of people’s suffering.