Engage

The Present of Presence

December 13, 2012 / 2 Comments

At this hurried time of year we rush here and there with our shopping lists, food preparations, and Christmas pageants or concerts. When I had children at home, I set aside their school time for my hunting trips to the mall. When they were home, I had food to prepare for neighbors and friends, gifts to wrap, and places to be.

As I look back, those days felt frantic and stressful rather than filled with the peace of Christ. I missed the present of the presence of God, and I failed to give the gift of my presence to those around me. Can you relate?  How do we overcome the busyness and find the present of presence?

Jesus came into the world at Christmas to be present with his people in human form. “Look! The virgin will conceive and bear a son, and they will call him Emmanuel” which means “God with us,” (Matt. 1:23). 
 
As I read the gospels, I am amazed at how present Jesus was in every moment with those around him. He wasn’t hurried or stressed; his attention was in the here and now with each person he met, dealing with their needs, both physically and spiritually. Despite having travel plans, sermons to preach, and people to heal, Jesus took time for what seems to be interruptions and side-tracks. 
 
As I focus on Advent, I want to notice his presence in my life. How has Jesus been with me this year? Am I attentive to his presence today? Am I spending time listening to him through his word and in silence during Advent?
 
I also want to be more present with those around me as my gift to them. Instead of a December characterized by hurry, I want it to embody peace and love. To get there I will have to focus on the moment at hand. When I am with someone, my attention should be wholly on her. When I am shopping or cooking alone, I can concentrate on the task. But when I am with others, I should be fully and completely focused on giving them the gift of my presence, which may be the most precious present I can give this year. 
 
That means trusting God with my time and my tasks, just as I do when I enjoy a Sabbath rest. What doesn’t get done may not need to get done. What I am able to do and still be truly present with others is what God would have me do.
 
What ways have you found to savor the presence of Christ each day and to be wholly present to those whom you love? What a Christmas it will be if we enjoy both aspects of present of presence!
Post Views: 135

Kay is a life-long Texan whose favorites are Tex-Mex, books that feed her soul or make her think, good movies and travel to new places. Her great joy is to serve God by teaching the Bible and developing women as servant-leaders. She is the Founder and Executive Director of Beyond Ordinary Women Ministries, which provides free videos, podcasts and articles as well as low-cost Bible studies to prepare Christian women for leadership. (beyondordinarywomen.org) Kay spent ten years leading women’s ministries on church staffs, most recently at Northwest Bible Church in Dallas. Kay is the author of From Ordinary Woman to Spiritual Leader: Grow your Influence, a practical guide to help Christian women influence others by applying foundational leadership skills to their lives and ministries, and a number of Bible studies for women, some are available at bible.org and the newer ones are found at beyondordinarywomen.org. Kay earned an M.A.C.E. from Dallas Theological Seminary and a D.Min. from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Effective Ministries to Women. Kay’s family includes a husband, two grown children, one son-in-law, two hysterical granddaughters and a Goldendoodle.

You May Also Like

Steps to a Calmer, More Christ-Focused Advent

November 26, 2019

Listening to My Black Brother: an interview

June 5, 2020

Cooling Down Discourse

August 12, 2020

2 Comments