when i ask

"can i voice my thoughts on this?"
and you say yes,
do not--
i repeat, do NOT
listen to three words and then interrupt me.
do not listen to one sentence and then justify what you said so my thought no longer matters.
if you don't want to hear it, then don't say yes.
if you don't care about my thoughts? fine.
then don't expect me to respond the next time you have something to say.
i'm tired of not being listened to.
i know that what I say doesn't matter, but my greatest desire is to point people to God.
and when they can't even take a second to listen to me--after i've taken time to listen to them--
it's frustrating.
and it hurts.
i know i'm selfish.
i know that's all this is.
but i mean...seriously.
i see God teaching me patience through all of this.
but it still frustrates me beyond belief.

do one thing for me:
take time to honestly and genuinely listen to the people around you.
it's so worth it. and sometimes it's good for us to shut up.
ask them about themselves.
Jesus always skipped the small talk and went straight to the heart.