The Power of Presence.

Tick-tock, tick-tock.  It is countdown time. My AP Literature required reading is sitting in the dusty corner of my room, and my new class schedule is sitting on my bare desk. My senior year starts next week, and I am a little nervous. I know the Lord has so much for me to accomplish for His kingdom, yet there is still so much I desire and need to learn. Each year, I pray about one thing in particular to shape my approaching school year. Last year, the all consuming prayer request was for the blessing of great friends to learn about the Lord from, and to share with. I was immensely provided. This year, I desire for the Lord to challenge me in a way that will stretch my innermost character. Let my darkest sides be exposed and transformed. 

The Lord has blessed me with an amazing mode of transportation. My Grandmother gave me her SUV for my 16th birthday, and I was thrilled! When the Lord throws us unexpected blessings, we seem to appreciate, yet abuse them though don't we? I immediately found myself driving around town fulfilling useless tasks, just so that I could be out of the house and expressing my independence. But, as good as being a seventeen year old zipping around town may seem, I was missing out on a crucial part of my maturation and adolescence. At home, my family was having family meals, my father wanted to help me on my speech for an upcoming tournament, my grandparents wanted me to help them with their computer, or my siblings just wanted to hang out and talk. I was missing out on cherish moments with my family members that I would never get back. The Lord desires us to spend time with His people. We must make a daily effort to be in each others presence, especially in times of emotional need. 

We can look to Job, a prophet who seemed to have it all: wealth, a family, and feasts galore. Suddenly, disaster and tragedy completely wiped out Job's family and possessions. When this occurred, we see one of the Lord's many lessons become very clear. As long as Job's friends kept their mouths shut, they were comforting to their grieving friend. Once they began conjecturing about what could have caused Job's tragedy, or why he was feeling a certain way, they got into trouble. 

 “Be happy with those who are happy, weep with those who weep”  Romans 12:15

It seems that the Lord is sending us a very clear message about how he wants us to act around friends going through tough instances in their lives. Sometimes all that people need is your presence, your sense of hope, and your presentation of the Gospel. If all we do is bring His good news, that is more than enough. The Lord wants YOU to be the one standing by a person in need. When we abide in the Lord and put His truth in our hearts, we must share that with anyone with a non-settled heart. This sounds pretty basic: it is fundamental to our Christian walk. But the thing that is radical about the whole process, is that our presence is just a small display of our Heavenly Father's unconditional presence. 

 

“Everyone must be quick to listen, but slow to speak and slow to become angry” James 1:19 

The essence of empathy is the gift of presence. Let us begin to seek out anyone with a troubled heart. Let them know that we are present. Let them know that HE is eternally present.