The gift of presence

This season of advent, I am pondering on the importance of presence. A few days ago I had a really good call with a friend and colleague who explained to me how her year went. It was one of those check ins I was so thankful I honored in the midst of my hectic year end schedule. It wasn't a meeting where I was asked to produce anything, or where I was pouring into someone(these are all really important meetings I regard highly), it was a meeting where we were both reflecting on our 2022. I think these types of meetings as we close the year are really important more than work and productivity meetings because they rejuvenate us in ways unimaginable. 

 In that exchange of a conversation i shared some things God was laying on my heart with my my friend, I could tell it blessed her. During the conversation, she  also shared some of the things she has learnt this year. I then had a light bulb moment. It seemed my colleague had already stepped into her new season and she had done some reflecting something I hadn’t done yet. The meeting helped me realize that I hadn't really started reflecting on my year and I wanted to.  I thanked her after our call for honoring me with her presence.

Since then I’ve been thinking about how the most important thing you can gift someone in this advent season is the gift of presence.  A few weeks ago in my quiet time with God, I was speaking to Him about relationships and the journey of healing. I sensed the Lord speaking to me about presence once again. The Holy Spirit stirred in my spirit that the most important thing you can give me in this season is your presence. Whoa where did that come from? I thought we were just talking about relationships Ha! God always has a surprise for you when you honor Him with presence!

I reflected on the word I heard that morning, and thought "Well isn’t the most important relationship one with God?". I think about  how the angel Gabriel visited Mary and revealed that she would be the chosen one to carry our savior Jesus. Angel Gabriel isn't just any type of angel, He is a high ranking angel that is sent out for such powerful messages and as we know this was the most important message mankind had been waiting for the arrival of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ!

 I wondered what it must have felt for Mary but the fact that she honored the presence of the angelic visitation I could imagine even in the midst of how this conception was to happen, that she received some peace especially reading from her response"“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her." Luke 1:38. Mary understood in that moment the gift of presence. Later on she goes to spend some months with Elizabeth (Luke 1:39-56) and Elizabeth honored Mary with presence in a time where she needed her the most. I think about these months of winter that can be so cold and dark, and sometimes many may feel lonely during the holiday season, and the importance of honoring presence. The uttermost presence we must honor is the presence of God and the next being honoring the presence of His people. In this season I wanted to offer some tips on how I am being intentional about honoring God's presence and those around me.

Here are some ways I ensure I gift the gift of presence 

1. Spend quiet time in prayer and meditation with God in the mornings: I find that the mornings before everyone wakes up really works well for me. I spend some time in prayer and I meditate on a scripture that God lays on my heart and this helps me to gain a new perspective, have a different encounter of the same scripture and overall position me for that day. This is also an opportunity to not only honor God with your presence but to also receive God's presence which is such a gift. 
2. Taking Prayer walks: One of the things I try to do even as cold as it is is take walks whilst talking to God. I find that during these walks I get a lot of answers, peace and clarity. 
3. Engage in two way journaling between you and God: During our recent prayer retreat for Warrior Women Prayer ministry held in North Carolina, a woman of God by the name of Susanna taught us about two way journaling during a workshop titled "Hearing from God". This is where one writes down an opening to God and asks him what is on his heart for you for that day or that season etc. So I have been practicing this as a means of hearing from God and you can too. You simply write a question down to God such as "Dear Father what is on your heart today?" and sit quietly and wait to hear what He has to say . This gives me a sense of direction for the week.
4. Reach out to a few people that you haven’t checked in with for a long time this year, that have been on your heart whether it’s a zoom call,  or coffee date, or a phone call, (not a text or voice note) take time to  honor them with your presence before the year is over and bless them with a word, a song, a declaration and the gift of presence. 
5. Send gratitude cards to people who you feel led to and send a blessing in the form of a written card  in this season. I did this a few years ago and generally try to do them every year on my birthday. So many people are blessed by this simple act of kindness. I believe this is another way to gifting someone with presence. 

I think about how many times God is always waiting to honor us with His presence and the importance of extending that love to each other in this season. So many of us myself included are going through challenging and difficult seasons, dealing with so much including overwhelm, grief, loss etc that just telling someone "I see you and I want to sit with you" goes a far distance. In the midst of always rushing to the next thing, buying Christmas gifts, travel etc. Take time to slow down and be present for God, yourself and others. Take time this year instead of worrying about what material gifts we are going to get for people, and just honor them with your time and presence. Also remember to thank people for honoring you with their presence in this season. God bless you in this season.