The Gift of A Loving Presence

When I think about the valuable and unrepeatable gift of receiving someone’s presence and attention, it got me thinking how important the gift of giving your presence to someone really is. I did not want bags of designer clothes, kitchen gadgets, or electronics. I wanted the priceless gift of the presence of my family members. This brought me to reflect on what I am doing here at our post in Asia.

It really is not much. It really is not special or noteworthy. There are no new homes built, new businesses or schools started, no food pantry we started, or anything like that to report on. In my American mindset, I want everything to happen fast, and I want to be happy with the gift I give. In other words, I want to make tangible, measurable changes in the lives of the poor. I want to help facilitate opportunities for them to grow and expand their horizons. I want to feel like I am making a difference.

However, much of what I do right now is offer my presence. I look them in the eye, shake their hands, visit them regularly, smile, laugh, and try to really focus on how I make them feel. If I focus on how I feel as I am giving my gift, or how lacking my gift is, I miss out completely on the gift of giving them my presence. While I still want God to make a way for new homes, new job opportunities, schools, or after-school programs for the poor, what I can and ought to give is my presence, attention, and joy.

Where we are, the poor are often invisible, untouchable, and seen as not worthy of someone’s time or attention. A loving presence here makes all the difference. A loving presence is a totally different mirror that reflects an image more aligned with Jesus’ values than any other mirror the poor will encounter.

My focus is on reflecting love, worthiness, and joy each time I encounter the poor. And yes, I would love to be doing more—it would feel more comfortable for me to feel like I could offer more than that. But a presence aligned with Jesus’ values is the foundation; everything builds on it.

Pray for us to have a solid foundation that uplifts, reflects goodness, and paves the way for new opportunities for our friends in difficult situations. I pray you have the grace to not focus on feeling good about the gift you can offer God, but rather offer the one He is asking of you, no matter how small it may be. He knows what He is doing!