Hospitality Dare #3 Listening to Someone

I'm participating in a 7 day Hospitality Dare. Each day I'll post about how I responded to the dare. See the end of the post to see how you can take the dare!

The dare for the day

Dare #3:  Take the time to STOP what you are doing and really listen to someone today.  See that person fully and give your undivided attention to him/her. 

This dare wasn't too difficult for me since I'm naturally more of a listener than a talker. That said I decided to try a little experiment. As I ran my errands today I made a point to really speak with the cashier and others I came in contact with.

• While picking up a prescription for my mom I turned to the lady behind in line and asked her how she was doing today. That lead to her telling me all about her husband and his illness and how much money she spends each month on prescriptions. I left the store and lifted up a prayer for her and her situation and I thanked God that my mom has really good insurance. 
• In the Dollar General store I asked the cashier how her day was going. She barely mumbled a surly OK. When I left the store I prayed that God would meet whatever need was on her heart and I thanked the Lord that I have a job I love. 
• While waiting on the traffic light I bought a paper from a guy who I know is homeless. I asked him where he was sleeping now. He told me he'd found a nice place behind the grocery store where there's plenty of cardboard to make a bed and  the deli manager leaves good food out for him to eat. I bought a paper and gave him a little extra. As I pulled away I prayed God would bless this guy and I thanked God for good people like the deli manager. I also thanked Him for my home and family. 

None of these encounters took much time or cost me anything. I'm thankful for the opportunity to listen and to pray. 

For more information about the 7 Day Hospitality Dare see

Kristin's post for listening tips

I dare you!

You can see what I did to meet these dares:
Hospitality Dares and Challenges