I had jury duty last week, and I was nervous as anything. I love people but I always worry I won't find a buddy - a person to talk to during the long hours.
You see, I'm the girl you can normally find alone in the crowd. I'm the girl who loves to speak but is awkward. All my life I've found I'm that girl, the one in the crowd but completely alone, in her own little world, pretending she's OK with being by herself.
I love to talk to people, I will normally try and make conversation, but I'm usually denied as people are too busy, too busy on their cell phones texting and playing games to talk to young adult me.

This time was no different.

I sat there in the back row, waiting for the judge to appear, for court to be in session. I was squished between two men (why do these things always happen to me?). The one was a man who apparently wanted to smoke or a drink, for as the hours increased his hands continued to shake.
I saw it in his eyes. He didn't want to talk. He had his addictions on his mind.

The other man was an elderly gentlemen with kind eyes but was too busy getting to know the other young girl on his other side. They were in their own little world, chatting without a care in the world. I made eye contact, and they smiled but looked away.
I glanced around but everyone knew someone or had made other friends, and plus I was alone on the bench with the guy in need of a smoke and the elderly man and girl who were making friends. There was no one else to talk to me - unless they wanted to turn around from their own awkward squished position.
Alone
again.
As I sat there, I didn't feel sorry for myself but became saddened as I thought of other times, other people...how many times do others feel alone in the crowd? How many times have I ignored the loners? There's so many people glancing around (like I was), wanting to have someone to talk to them, to have someone let them know they're not alone.

And they're hurting, lonely, broken. 

They're the new kid who just wants a man to be a father figure to them. They're the guy smoking in the street corner. They're the pregnant teen in line in front of you. They're the store clerk who just wants a 'good morning.' They're the girl in church who hasn't come in ages and looks like like need an older girl to just sit down and make sure she's alright. They're the new young teens at work who are awkward and don't know what they're supposed to be doing.
It's the every day people you come in contact with. We're all looking for a friend, whether we realize it or not. We're all hurting - oh, so hurting.
We just want someone to start a conversation, to say hi, to say 'you're not alone.'
Whether that's as a little as offering to help an elderly lady with her groceries, giving a little girl at church a birthday card or talking to the person beside you in jury duty, it's the little things that encourage the person alone in the crowd. It's watching out for the people by themselves at parties and church and school and work.
It's watching out for the Sherlocks of this world. (Remember in Sherlock, season 3, when he glanced around, realizing he was, for the first time, alone in the crowd?)

And while you don't have to make friends with everyone you meet...you can take time to show a little of Jesus.