Be Present To Others

22 Jul

“We convince by our presence.”  ~ Walt Whitman

There are many ways to prove ourselves and our intentions to others.  Some people think that we have to prove ourselves by giving things to others.  Some people think that we prove ourselves by doing favors for others.  However, when it gets right down to it, people don’t want things from us.  They want us to be present to them.  That might be something as simple as sitting with them over a cup of coffee and listening to their tales or their woes.

Presence is a very powerful reality.  It is living proof of another person’s care for us.  I know people who cavalierly use the phrase “I’ll be there for you” and yet the person who needs them will never see them.  The words might have sounded wonderful but, you know what they say, the proof is in the pudding.  If they say they will be “there” for someone, they actually need to be there.  If they remain distant, that does no good at all.

God convinces us by His presence.  He is there for us and with us every single moment of every single day.  He was there as He called us into existence and He remains with us throughout our earthly lives until He calls us to Himself in the world to come.  He never wavers and He will never leave us.

We, on the other hand, are much more fickle.  We say that we are there with God; but, there are many times that we stray from Him.  The lure of the world’s promises is often too strong for us and we often give in to it and become present to the world and not to God.

We tell God that we love Him.  We tell others that we love them.  Let’s convince them by our presence.

FAITH ACTION:  Be present to others today, especially those who may have a particular need for you.