The Power of Showing Up
by Peter Brokaar
On a recent mission trip, I was impacted by various people saying to us, “Thank you for coming”. We encountered deep suffering and raw needs. At times we felt thoroughly inadequate to bring anything of significance. We could do so little. Yet the people we visited in different places all said the same thing, “Thank you for caring enough to come.”
Sometimes just showing up can be used by God to powerfully convey His love. One of my favourite conversion stories is from a professional skateboarder who once had to run for his life and cried out for help. His testimony is this: “When I called out to Mohammed and Buddha they didn’t show up. Jesus showed up, He rescued me, and I started following Him.”
God sent Jesus from heaven into our sinful mess on earth. Jesus showed up. He walked among men and was willing to associate with the lowly. When Jesus returned to heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit. The disciples had to wait until the Feast of Weeks and then the Holy Spirit showed up. It changed everything for our lives on earth. And thank God, His Spirit never left. We can call on Him any time, in any situation, and He will be there.
As God’s ambassadors, sometimes all we need to do is simply show up. It could be visiting someone in prison, or a person in hospital, someone who’s bereaved, or someone struggling with their mental health. We might feel inadequate, not knowing what to do, or what to say. But that is OK. People will be grateful to us when we choose to show up, because it speaks of a willingness to share in someone’s pain. It says, “I care for you” in a way that’s perhaps more potent than words.
Jesus told us that, even when we give a cup of water, we will not lose a reward. We can all do that. ('And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward' , Matthew 10:42).
And when we go with God, He may enable us to give yet more. Doing the miracles is up to Him, but it is us who are called upon to show up when there is need.
So, I wonder, where will God send you next? Who in your world is waiting for someone to show up? May God guide us to the right places at the right times to go and be present in Jesus’ name.
Peter Brokaar is Director of Ellel Ministries Scotland and has been there together with his wife Liz since 2005. They have 3 kids, all born in Scotland! In his free time he likes reading, cooking, running and surfing. Being at Ellel Scotland has given him the privilege of getting to know God deeper and sharing that joy with many others.
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