Humans are busy creatures. We are constantly focused on doing things and getting to the next thing or activity. Sometimes this can be a good thing, but other times it can be detrimental. Most of the time, the things we are so anxious to get to and so worried about are all for ourselves. Admit it - you're a selfish person. We all are, in one way or another.
There is a lot of hurt in this world, but I think that we miss it because we're wrapped up in our own world. Our friends, our acquaintances and even people we don't know need us. They need us to simply notice that they're in pain. Why should you take the time for this? Because they are created in the image of God and he loves them. That's it. If it's someone close to you, perhaps you have an additional reason, but other than that it's all because of that.
Think about this - how many of the people that you passed today were having a really bad day? How many of your friends cried themselves to sleep last night? Who is really angry, who just needs a hug, and who needs someone to listen to? Do you know? The truth is that it's impossible to stop everyone that you see and make sure they're okay. But you can do small things for the people that you come in contact with. Take an extra second to make sure that they're really okay after the whole "how are you" "I'm fine" bit. Hear them out for a second when they need someone to rant to about the huge paper they have due. Watch for behavior changes in your friends (ie: being abnormally quiet, breathing shakily, wanting to retreat away from people more than usual, wringing hands, nervous twitches like clicking pens, tapping or shaking a foot, and dark circles under their eyes). This takes a long time to say but doesn't really take more than a couple of seconds to notice.
The bottom line is to work on loving people better. Care about people even if they can't give you anything. Love them for who they are, despite what they've done. Notice them and be someone they can count on.
