Today we want to lean into the concept of presence. I believe it is the greatest gift that God has given us. God is not a far-off God that can’t be known. He is knowable and wants be known and make Himself known at an intimate level.
One of the greatest gifts we can give our wives, our children, and others is the gift of our presence. One challenge to that is our desire for significance and the thought that significance has to do with accomplishments. And though what we do is important, our value and our worth isn’t based on our accomplishments.
John 1:14 says, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” Jesus lived and walked among us. And the Father has now given us the Holy Spirit who is ever present.
Being present has to do with connecting at a heart level. We can run to-and-fro from one activity to the next and be in the same space and yet not be present for each other. We can all be sitting still in the same space but on our devices and still not be present with and for each other. Presence has to with listening. It has to do with body posture. It has to do with eye contact. It is about creating heart connections. Sometimes when we aren’t doing anything we are getting the most done.
It is the same with God. Do we give Him our presence? Or do we just check off our devotional time each day? Being present with God is an art, an exercise, and a discipline.
One key to being present is getting out of fix it mode. Many of us are uncomfortable with situations that we don’t have answers for. So we either try to fix difficult or broken situations or avoid them altogether because we don’t know what to do. People need you. They need your heart long before they need an answer.
Slow down today. Choose to eliminate some things from your life. Choose to be present for your wife, family and friends. Give them your heart, your time, and treasure and lean in.
