Iwant you to think about your day. How many conversations did you have today? How many of those conversations seemed fake to you? You could just tell that the person had no care for what you had to say to them, but they tried to act like they did. After conversations like these, I get upset. I get upset with the fact that people think it is okay to be fake with other people and think they can get away with it. What happens when someone is hurting or struggling with something and they need someone to talk to, but no one wants to truly listen? Being genuine is so crucial to others and could change someone’s life.

Listening can be hard. Sometimes we want to get out what we want to say so badly that we can hardly wait for the other person to stop talking. We focus so much on ourselves that we don’t even listen to what that person is saying.

Something I find very beneficial is having an upperclassman that can pass down wisdom to me over dinner or coffee. I tend to meet with a guy named Luke once a week and just talk to him about things going on in my life. Why do I love talking to him? Because he is a fantastic listener. I can genuinely see him listening and taking in each word I say. When he responds, I can tell he cares about what is going on in my life and truly wants to help me. Everyone needs a Luke in their life.

I wanted to get some perspective on the topic, so I asked my friend Zach Abney what his thoughts were. His words were impactful.

“Harding status quo is so much different from most universities, which is a double-edged sword. We hold ourselves to a higher standard, which is a good thing, because it drives us to be better people. It does, however, have a downside. When you’re not on your ‘A’ game, or not a COC (Church of Christ) insider, there is pressure to put on a facade. For that reason, I think it’s important as a student body to remain open to being vulnerable and genuine. That doesn’t mean we’re always baring our heart and soul, but it does mean we can admit struggling and not understanding the status quo. When we are humble enough to be genuine, we can be used to make a tangible difference in our peer’s hearts and lives.”

If we are simply humble enough to be genuine, we can make a solid impact in people’s lives. That should hit you square in the heart. The bottom line here is that we are too good to be having fake conversations. We each share such unique stories that need to be heard. Go tell your story, but more importantly, go listen.