The Ministry of Presence

I have to be straight with you--I often wish that God had made me a wiser man.  James 1:5 is one of the Bible verses I go back to a lot--"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, Who gives to all freely and doesn't rebuke for it."

What this has to do with my family is that I often don't know what I'm doing trying to be a godly husband and father to my mixed-up wife and mixed-up kids when I'm such a mixed-up man myself.  I mean, I'd like to be the voice of wisdom and righteousness but in the words of the great Indiana Jones, "I'm making this up as I go along."

But one thing I'm pretty sure about is that it's a good idea to spend time and demonstrate care.  If Graphics Magician's having a tough go of it, I try to make sure I'm spending a little extra time with him.  If the Basement Artist is feeling a little insecure, I want to be there for her.  Ditto with Adored Wife and Social Hurricane when it's been a rough day--I wish I had better advice to offer, but I can at least let them know I care about them enough to invest an hour or two.

It's sometimes referred to as the ministry of presence--even if you can't offer a solution to the problems being faced, you can still be there for the person in need.  It's something we try to practice.

Hope all's well out there, friends, and God bless.