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Talking to Strangers

Walking with other commuters is one of the loudest quiets that exist. No one talks. No one. All you hear is the sound of dozens of feet on pavement, and maybe someone's music through their headphones.

I live in one of the most unchurched cities in North America. Statistically, for every 5 people I meet, only 2 of them go to church regularly. The need for me to be Jesus is abundantly necessary. And yet... I say nothing.

I can blame it on all sorts of things... I don't know what to say; asking a stranger how I can pray for them makes me sound crazy (or like I've been eavesdropping); they might not be a morning person; I'm not even sure they speak English; I'll never see this person again, so why does it matter?

But I see the same eight or so people every day. And the truth? While all of those reasons are true, I'm scared of judgment and looking stupid. More than I'm scared of what could happen to the soul of the person I say nothing to.

I wish I could say that this post will keep me accountable next week. I wish I could say my aversion to small talk will disappear tomorrow and that I would evangelize on every T ride. But the truth? The truth is that for at least a little while, probably nothing will change. But I pray that God will step in and do the changing and help me to be bold, and interesting, and genuine.

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