Tuesday, September 27, 2022

A Rare Gift Indeed

The challenging invitation of what it might look like to be 'fully present' to another soul kept tumbling around in my head as I trotted along on today's early morning walk.  

For each of us has a special person {or two} in our life who is yearning for some undivided, focused attention that only we can provide.  The good news is that we get to decide if / when / how we will offer that lovely gift of ourselves to another.

I'm not talking about some kind of weird, exhausting co-dependent relationship, but the willing, gentle offering of a healthy grace-laden presence to someone who's struggling.

One beggar showing another beggar where to find bread.


This is not about doing, but about being still.  

This is not about offering advice, but about listening well.  

This is about laying aside what's good to invest in what's best.


Not to mention clearing valuable space in our overloaded calendars and unplugging from all that grabs for our attention so we can go there unhindered.

Literally.

*

Being fully present to another soul requires 4 gratitude-fueled distinctives that have been cultivated over time:

~  We are at peace with God, yielding to a sacred stillness in the depths of our own beings, an emotionally healthy spirituality, a well overflowing with all the fruit of His Spirit's faithful, delightful presence ... love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control {Galatians 5:22}.

~  We have experienced our own broken woundedness, our own grief and sorrow ... and embraced a hard won healing along the way.

~  We are comfortable in our own skin so that we have no ax to grind, no hidden agenda to fulfill, nothing at all to prove to ourselves or anyone else.

~  We are humble in our own self-evaluation so we know that any ability we have to embrace the calling to become a wounded healer is only because of God's powerfully redemptive work in our own lives.

Pondering with you,
Linda

*

Five years later, these words still ring true.  I share this June 2017 essay in honor of the exceptional Stephen Ministries team at CCBAC.  You guys were born to do this sacred work.  To God be all the glory.

34 comments:

  1. Yes! The longer I live, the more I am realizing these truths! It’s not easy for me to spend time in silence just listening. Thank you for the reminder that I need to cultivate this practice.

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    1. Anita, you're right. This doesn't come naturally to most of us and requires cultivating. Small, simple steps ...
      👣

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    2. Yes, yes, and yes! My husband often said to the men in our care that he was just one begger showing another where to find the bread. Thanks for the reminder of the posture required to be fully present. I'll probably be sharing this. - Debby

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    3. I like how you put that, Debby - 'the posture required to be fully present.' God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. And oh how He humbles us in those seasons of weakness and woundedness. Only He could bring beauty from those messy ashes ...
      😔

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  2. Excellent post, My Friend!
    Blessings!

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  3. Wonderful advice! And as I think about them, I thank Jesus for those who have been this kind of friend/iron sharpener/Christian sojourner to me.

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    1. Thanks for reminding us to be forever thankful for those who've been fully present for us in our greatest need. What grace they've modeled, what healing they've fostered.
      ☀️

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  4. I love this, Linda. Pondering with you, too! Love and blessings to you!

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    1. There's so much to consider and reflect on, isn't there, friend ...
      🕊️

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  5. This is something I have been intentionally trying to do for years now...being fully present, not distracted. Have a great day!

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    1. Cindy, you're right, this is intentional, for sure. Our human nature is to give advice, to be thinking of the wise or witty remarks we're readying to offer. Truth is, the one who's sitting across from us usually knows that our minds are already somewhere else.

      Sad.
      😢

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  6. I admit to struggling with this from time to time Linda. As a pastor, I have a strong desire to shepherd "my" people. I have often allowed that to overtake my sense of giving my time to others. Giving too much time at the neglect of something else. I think it is a fine line to walk. Thanks for the encouragement to care...wisely.

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    1. Oh yeah, you're right, Bill. All this is a fine line and only God can give us that discernment to know the best ways to respond.

      Thanks for putting the 'wisely' word on the table. On our own, it's easy to run dry.
      🚶‍♂️

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  7. Praying with you that, as opportunities present themselves, I may be fully present to listen well and speak only as the Spirit directs! Thank you for these wise insights, Linda, guiding us to that end.

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    1. 'speak only as the Spirit directs'

      You've hit the nail right on the head, Nancy. And His direction is always to point people to Jesus. When we're speaking off the cuff without alot of thought, we usually end up calling attention to ourselves instead of the Lord.

      Thanks for this caution to let our words be ones that honor Christ.
      ✝️

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  8. Been there, done that, still doing, still listening. Blessings, Linda, for these insightful words that will serve us well in our spiritual journeys.

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    1. Still listening. Yes, yes, that's the posture I want to live by. I've said far too many words along the way.
      🎧

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  9. Coming off a busy weekend of delightful ministry, I am feeling the need for a stretch of silence and refueling. Thankful, too, that God approves of that rhythm!

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    1. After a strenuous time of ministry, I often think of Mark 5:30 when Jesus noticed that the woman touched the hem of His garment and he felt the strength go out of Him.

      Praise God for the rhythms of work and rest. Without the 'silence and refueling' as you so beautifully said, we'd be shot.

      I'm so glad to hear that the weekend went well for you, Michele. God continues to use you in extraordinary ways. You are a blessing.
      😴

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  10. Your words are powerful fuel for thought, Linda. Thank you for sharing them with us all.

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  11. I'm so grateful I have a few of these rare gifts in my life! They are truly life-savers as I work through my struggles. I thank God for them.

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    1. Oh yes. Life-savers indeed, sent from above. Even just one is the hugest blessing. I hear you friend. I sure do.
      👼

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  12. One beggar showing another beggar ... Indeed we each need to be shown

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    1. Sadly, some of us never had a clue the feast we'd been missing ...
      🍞

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  13. Being sensitive to the wooing of His Spirit, and other's heart longings is so important if we want to "be still, listen well, and invest in the best" in a life-giving way, Linda.

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    1. He's the only way we can do this well. Amen.
      ✝️

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  14. Linda this>"One beggar showing another beggar where to find bread." Grabbed my attention. This is so true and very important. Pausing to reflect upon your words here friend.
    Visiting today from G&T

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    1. Thanks for dropping by, Paula ...
      🙋‍♀️

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    2. Thank you for sharing this blessed post with Sweet Tea & Friends this month.

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    3. Thanks for the generous way you open your door to us, Paula!
      🚪

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  15. This is such an interesting post with so much to consider on whether or not we are in the right space to be there for someone else.

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    1. Yours is a good reminder to continue to keep ourselves ready, willing, and able, Lauren. Only by His grace ...

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