Day Eighty-Eight

BE PRESENT WHERE YOU ARE

“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”

—JOHN 15:12 NIV

Missionary Jim Elliot said, “Wherever you are, be all there.”

I think that’s really important. Wherever you live, wherever you work, wherever you hang out, be all there. For me to do that, I have to put my phone down sometimes.

Have you done that lately? Just put your phone down and ignored it for a while?

Our culture suffers from this whole idea of “FOMO” or “fear of missing out.”

We constantly check our smartphones. Facebook. Instagram. Twitter. E-mail. Text. We don’t want to miss anything . . . but in some ways, when my face is in my phone, I think I’m actually missing everything.

God loves us so much that He gave us His everything, and He asks us to love others the way He loved us. Loving others means being present with them in their pain, being present with them in their joy. It means being all there.

Maybe you’re not a big phone person. Maybe it’s TV for you, or a good book. But you know the thing you turn to when you want to escape. Everyone needs some downtime, but don’t make it a crutch anymore. Put it down.

Are you brave enough to believe that you’re not missing out on something else? Are you brave enough to believe that wherever you are, you can be all there, and that is exactly where you’re meant to be?

Loving others means being all there.

Because that’s the truth.

Think about the people who exude the love of Jesus. When you talk to them, are they distracted? Are they multitasking? I bet they aren’t. I bet they are all there with you. I bet they are actively listening and praying over you with specificity because they are brave enough to be present.

Today, be intentional about being present where you are.

BE BRAVE: What if you just took a break from your phone for a few hours? Or a day? Put it down and walk away. Notice the twinge of pain that comes when you think you might be missing something, but also embrace it!