Genuine Encounters – When Hearts Truly Touch

[Hubi]

 

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Dear brothers and sisters,

today I would like to talk with you about something that every one of us knows…
but perhaps far too rarely truly feels.

Genuine encounters.

Not superficial conversations…
not fleeting contacts…
not the smile we automatically put on…

but encounters that go deep.

Encounters that touch our hearts…
change us…
and bring us a little closer to Jehovah.

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At the beginning, I would like to ask you a simple but honest question:

How many people really know you?

Not your name…
not your face…
not what you show on the outside…

but your heart?

Your thoughts…
your struggles…
your silent tears?

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We live in a time in which one seems to constantly be surrounded by people.

You can have hundreds of contacts…
thousands of followers…
constantly receiving messages…

And yet…

so many people feel empty inside.

Why?

Because closeness is not created by numbers.

Closeness is created by authenticity.

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You can stand in the middle of a crowd…
and still feel infinitely alone.

Maybe you have experienced that yourself.

Everyone is laughing…
everyone is talking…
everything seems alive…

and yet there is this quiet feeling inside:

"No one truly sees me."

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And something else can be even more painful:

Loneliness as a pair.

Living next to someone…
day after day…

and still feeling like strangers.

No real connection…
no deep conversations…
no true understanding…

That can hurt more than being truly alone.

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Why is that?

Because as humans, we were created for something deeper.

Jehovah did not create us just to function…
not to wear masks…

but for real connection.

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Let us read a thought from Psalm 139:1, 2:

“O Jehovah, you have searched me through, and you know me.
You know when I sit down and when I rise up.
You discern my thoughts from afar.”

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Isn’t that beautiful?

Jehovah knows us completely.

Not only our strengths…
but also our weaknesses.

Not only what we show…
but also what we hide.

And still…

he stays.

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That is the deepest form of connection that exists.

And that is exactly what our heart longs for in our relationships with others.

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Illustration 1: The Mask

Imagine a person who wears a mask every single day.

A mask that looks friendly…
appears strong…
seems to have everything under control…

People like this mask.

They laugh with it…
they talk with it…

But no one knows the face behind it.

One day, this person gathers all their courage…
and takes off the mask.

They show their insecurity…
their doubts…
their real feelings…

And suddenly…

many become silent.

Some even walk away.

Why?

Because they never loved the

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Hubi]

2.

but only the mask.

Isn’t that sad?

But at the same time, it shows us something important:

Real connection begins where masks fall.

And that is exactly where it becomes difficult.

Because it takes courage to be real.

Courage to open up…
courage to be vulnerable…

Courage to say:

"This is who I really am."

But that is exactly where the deepest encounters arise.

There, where someone sees you…
truly sees you…

and still stays.

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How many people have you let into your heart?

Not many, right?

And that is not a bad thing.

Because it is not about quantity…

but about depth.

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Think about it for a moment:

Who is truly interested in you?

Who listens to you without judging you?

Who stays when you are not doing well?

Who stands behind you when you are weak?

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And perhaps even more important:

For whom are you such a person?

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Because genuine encounters do not arise only by us seeking them…

but also by us giving them.

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Jehovah is the greatest example in this.

He does not only see what is obvious.

He looks into the heart.

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In 1 Samuel 16:7 we read:

“Man sees what appears to the eyes, but Jehovah sees what is in the heart.”

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That means:

Jehovah also sees the sides of us that no one else sees.

The silent struggles…
the hidden fears…
the moments in which we do not understand ourselves…

And still, he loves us.

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And this love…

can help us to see others in the same way.

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Illustration 2: The Broken Bowl

Imagine a beautiful bowl.

One day it fell…
and broke.

Many would throw it away.

“Broken,” they say.

“No longer useful.”

But someone takes the time…

puts the pieces back together…
with patience…
with love…

And suddenly…

this bowl is not only repaired…

but even more valuable than before.

Why?

Because its cracks show that it has a story.

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That is how Jehovah sees us.

And that is how we can also learn to see others.

Not as perfect…

but as real.

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Dear brothers and sisters,

true encounters are rare.

But they are possible.

And they are precious.

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Perhaps you have already experienced that someone touched your soul.

A conversation…
a look…
a moment…

that deeply imprinted itself.

You do not forget something like that.

The mind can forget many things…

but the heart remembers.

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And exactly such connections remain.

Not because of perfection…

but because of authenticity.

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And if this connection is also founded on Jehovah…

then it is stronger than anything else.

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Then it is not dependent on place…
not on time…
not on circumstances…

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Because real spiritual connection remains tangible.

Even across distance.

Even through difficult times.

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Everything else?

Is temporary.

Friends come and go…
circumstances change…
people develop…

But what is anchored in the heart…

remains.

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In conclusion, I would like to invite you to think about three questions:

Who do I truly let into my heart?

For whom am I a person who truly listens and feels?

How can I, through Jehovah’s love, learn to build deeper connections?

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Because that is exactly where the key lies.

Not only to be seen…

but to truly see others.

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And when we do that…

encounters arise…

that change our lives.

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Encounters that are not superficial…
but deep…

not temporary…
but lasting…

not loud…
but infinitely meaningful.

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And exactly such encounters…

Jehovah gives to us.

And through us…

to others.

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Thank you.