People are fascinating. So many people came into my life as a hospice chaplain. The great dis-appointment for me was that I did not have enough time with them to get to know more about them. They died before I got to some of the things that made them great.
I was often taught that only God is great, and that may be so. But I came to see greatness in many people, even those that were tough to like or love.
I have mad interrogation skills. Before I made a visit to someone on hospice, I would look for information in our nurses notes or other places to see what I could learn about my new client. Often I would learn about their illness, how long, how tough has been their struggle, their family, their work life, their service to the country. Lots of information that I took into each visit. And once they allowed me into their lives, I was able to start conversations with them and ask them many things. I could ask questions in a way that you didn’t even know I was asking. Handy skills for loving people.
Some times I would tell them a story about me and I would be creating an invitation to tell a story about them. And some of the stories that came out are incredible. Everybody has a story of course, and many will share, not all, but many. And if you are careful with their story, handling it like a baby, with love and interest and affection, you would find out that you may not be the most fascinating person in the room.
And boom, just like that, the lights go on. You get outside of yourself, you look around, and you are set free to discover that people, most of them anyhow, are really fascinating. Try it today. Vow to talk about yourself just enough to get someone talking about themselves. At End of Life, it was my privilege to hear some fantastic and rich stories. But you don’t have to wait till someone is dying, you can take up this ministry or way of caring right now. Listen for the fascinating. It’s out there.