God's Presence in Me

God's presence in me, is something that can not be defined by going to worship every Sunday. It isn't defined in how many church circles I attend. And it certainly isn't defined by how much I contribute to the church fund every year.

Are those the misconceptions on what true Christianity is all about? Christianity is a way of life. To embrace this path not just one day a week or just for the sake of having my name on an attendance sheet.

There are many qualities of God's presence. Lets just take listening. Listening? Yes, you know, to hear. Pay attention to. Heed. As a Christian we know God hears us, yet we deny those around us. Is it a stranger needing assistance getting groceries into a car? Or maybe a lost child in a store. Could it be we heard of a family that was struggling after sickness or injury. Did not Job cry (Job 31:35) "Oh that one would hear me!" God is with us always to hear us and as God's co-workers we too, must hear those in need around us.

Too often we shut ourselves off to the world around us. There is that internal struggle of "What will this person say if I do that." or "I can't walk up to a complete stranger and say this." What do you fear? Is it rejection? And what about listening to others who offer their assistance you? Are we so proud we can not accept that we need other people? What are we afraid of? Letting other people know who we are? Your own personal safety? Yes this is an ugly world we live in, but not so much more than any other time period. There are ways of helping others and accepting it without putting yourself in harms way. So why do we hold back?

I was in college and driving back for the holidays. It was about a 2 hour drive. It's a cold November evening, just after dusk. I'm having car trouble. This wouldn't have been a big deal now, but back then there weren't any cell phones. So weighing my options I decide to walk back to the nearest town. It wasn't too cold and it was only 30 miles away. Not the smartest, but I did it anyway. I'm about 50 yards from my car when another vehicle passes me on the highway. I see there are several people in this car. I move off into the ditch, because I'm near a college town and I've heard the stories. Two males get out of the vehicle and take a look at my car. Then they start calling for me. I'm really scared at this point. I stand out of sight in the ditch. I'm afraid. Next two women get out of the car. One was the mother and the other was a grandma. It was a family. The women start talking and walking towards me. I'm feeling more comfortable. I walk out of the ditch and Grandma grabs my hand and starts praying how thankful she is that they came along and found me. As it turns out, they were headed right threw the town I was headed. I was so overwhelmed by their kindness. They even stayed with me at the gas station till someone picked me up. It was a big step to conquer my fear to walk out of that ditch. Once I stopped being afraid and started listening to them, I realized they were good people. Would I still be standing in that ditch if I hadn't listened? Is this just a chance? Or was this a guiding hand?

I remember instance at a ball game and I heard children screaming. It blended into the other screams and cheers you'd normally hear at a ball game, but this seemed different to me. I walked back to the play ground and found a group of kids crying and screaming. They were just freaked out. One child had stepped on a piece of glass. His foot was badly bleeding. He didn't want my help, but I told him it was a nasty cut and we needed to get him out of the dirt. He agreed to let me help him over to the picnic tables, he laid down and I held his foot to elevate it. Two children knew the boys mother and they were sent off to find her. The mother came. She had this accusing look in her face. To her I was this woman standing over her crying son. I said he was in the playground and the kids told me he stepped on glass. She was angry "Did you touch it?" "No, He was walking around in circles, I just got him out of the dirt. I showed her, her son's foot and she just said "Oh No." It was caked with blood and dirt, but you could still see this big, ugly gash. She picked up her son and they left. About a month later, I was at another ball game, same ball park and I was this mother. I asked how her son was. She was still hesitant toward me, but said he needed stitches. I wished her and her son well and went on my way. Would he had found his mother without my assistance? Probably, but I'm glad I listened. Regardless how much it opened myself up for ridicule I knew it was the right thing to do.

Are these gut instincts we get? Is it our conscience telling you yes or no? Or is it a hand guiding us toward other people?. A Christian takes God into their daily living. We hear, see and speak to others. We see signs everyday of his presence. I know he is here to provide, help, keep and guide me. As a Christian this is my task too. So as I'm walking through life and I hear someone in need of assistance, I'm going to help them. This is my task. This is what I believe, what do you?