Ever had the experience of sitting with someone, in the same room, at the same table, and then you hear them ask, “where are you?” For a moment you have been lost in thought. Sharing space with someone else, but no longer present with them.
We most often live our lives with our focus on preparing for the next thing. In the morning we are thinking about the afternoon. In the afternoon we are looking forward to the evening. In the evening we are already wondering about what we will need for tomorrow.
As human beings, one of the things we most long for is to truly be in the presence of another person. We long to be seen, to be heard, to feel as though we are valued. The greatest present anyone of us can give one another is to be present with them.
All this may sound simple enough, but it does not come naturally or automatically. There is a reason it is referred to as “the practice of presence.”
In your busyness, as you begin to enter this season of holiday activities and gatherings, remember where you are. Focus on your spouse, your children, your friends, the stranger you encounter at the store, when you are in their presence. Pay attention to where you are and who you are with. Your presence with them is the greatest gift you can give.
As we practice being present with one another we share and put into practice together the powerful promise Jesus gives to each of us. “I am with you always.”
Pastor Lamont