After so many years being a part of the college campus–meeting students, counseling them about everything from their majors to good professors to deeper personal struggles about identity, spirituality, or purpose–I still find myself amazed at how much goes on inside of each person. What you see isn’t what you always get. People think the darndest things on the inside. Sometimes it’s innocent, “That guy’s hair is so lame.” And other times, things are a lot darker as people struggle with stress, depression, addiction, or hopelessness.

Some seniors and I were talking in the wake of last week’s Gracepoint Monthly and one brother’s life story. One of the senior guys shared that he had no idea that this brother had gone thru so much hurt, pain, and loss, and he was utterly unaware of its magnitude or depth. The application, we all agreed, was that you just never know each person’s story. And in the absence of such knowledge, we often neglect to treasure or care for the people who need it most in our lives. It made us take stock of our relationships and friendships, and then consider the gospel’s exhortation to care for one another and live a life of love.

It’s good advice.

One might even say wise. And others, well, they might say that’s just the truth about how things are.