New Article: The Power of Presence

I am selfish and like to be left alone!

There, I said it.

I want to do my own things, in my own time, in my own way. I do not want to rearrange my whole day to help others. Given the choice, I would spend every day off working in my garage by myself. My idea of a great holiday includes an island in the middle of a lake in northern Saskatchewan, a canoe, a tent and silence.

However, there are two problems with that sort of thinking. First, many people have gone out of their way to help me over the years. Tons of people put their own selfish desires to the side so that they could help me and teach me things that I did not know. Had they acted selfishly, I do not know how my life would have turned out.

Second, and more importantly, Jesus showed up! John begins his gospel by reminding us that, “The Word (Jesus) became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:14). I like Eugene Peterson’s translation of that verse which says, “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighbourhood”. The incarnation reminds us that God does not do his work from a distance.

If Jesus is the pattern for how Christians think and act, we must show up too. We cannot hide from others and think only about our wants and desires. We cannot exclude others. Real influence happens when we are close to one another. Interestingly, when I get over myself and show up for others, I am usually the one who is blessed by the experience.

As author Drew Dyck wrote, “We endlessly debate what Jesus would say or do if he was walking the earth today. But there’s one thing no honest reader of the Bible can doubt. He would be with people”.

If you want to be like Jesus, show up!

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