Everyone has a story
Next time you walk down Bold Street, try counting how many strangers you walk past. Everyone has a story. Whether you walk past an old lady who saw the Beatles play their first gig. Maybe you’re in the queue for Tesco’s behind your local pub landlord. Or the guy in the flat next door in your Uni halls is having a tough time. It’s time to start talking to strangers.
Opportunities and chances to meet people
University is a unique time in our life like no other. Everyone is new and you know nothing about anyone else. “Where are you from?”, “Have you been to Friends Kebab shop yet?”; are a few good icebreakers. It can feel like a really daunting time but at the same time, there are so many opportunities and chances to meet people. I found my first year hard and spent a lot of it watching Storage Hunters. I found talking to new people hard and awkward, but if given the opportunity again I wish I had been bolder.
As a Christian, I feel more driven now to talk to people because I know that I don’t have to rely on myself and impressing people but instead I am confident about what the Bible says about me is true. People want to talk, and I honestly believe Liverpool is one of the best cities in the world for doing so. I fully understand that facemasks make it harder, but we can be creative. Talking to strangers isn’t just important but it’s what we are made for. When God made Adam and put him in the Garden of Eden he said, “It is not good for him to be alone”, so he made Eve. And so, we are made for relationships too.
Challenging Society
Culture tells us, focus on your career, focus on where you are going to live next year, do whatever makes you happy. This is not what life is about. We need to challenge society’s push to focus on ourselves and instead we need to involve other people in our lives. And we can start by talking to Doris at the bus stop.
Written by James Mitchell, Assistant Anglican Chaplain and Student Pastor at St Barnabas, Penny Lane.
Contact James at [email protected].
