They are all around us,
     in line at the store.
They’re even in church
     as we walk through the door.
These people exist
     in numbers not few.
Perhaps they are me,
     perhaps they are you!

And if we should notice,
     just what would we do?
The answers are plenty,
     the solutions are few.
To treat one another
     as God treated me.
To serve and to love,
     all those we see.

To sit and to listen,
     to give of our time.
To share what we have,
     to our very last dime.
To lift someone up
     who is feeling quite down.
And comfort the sad
     who are wearing a frown.

But most of all,
     we share of our treasure.
A hope that God gives
     that is beyond measure!
The joy that we find
     with God’s Spirit inside.
We always must share,
     and never should hide!
© 2015 by Tom Lemler

I was spending time praying this morning about some lingering discouragement that tries to sidetrack me from time to time. As I did so, God put this poem in my mind to shift my focus to a world surrounding me that is full of unseen people who feel unnoticed and unappreciated. I pray that you and I are an encouragement to all those around us and that we are surrounded by people who will encourage us when we are down.

In prayer,
Tom