There’s a ministry in the church that requires no seminary degree, no spiritual gift assessment, and no public speaking ability. It’s the ministry of showing up. And it’s more powerful than most of us realize.
Why We Avoid Showing Up
If presence is so powerful, why do we resist it? Usually because we’re afraid of doing it wrong. We don’t know what to say to the grieving friend. We’re uncomfortable sitting in someone else’s pain. We’re worried we’ll make it worse. So instead of showing up imperfectly, we don’t show up at all. We send a text that says “Let me know if you need anything”—a kind sentiment that rarely leads to action—and move on with our day.
But the people who have walked through suffering will tell you the same thing: they don’t remember who said the right thing. They remember who came. The casserole mattered less than the person who brought it. The prayer was secondary to the hand that held theirs while it was spoken.
Jesus: The God Who Showed Up
The entire gospel is a story of God showing up. The theological word is incarnation—God taking on flesh and moving into the neighborhood (John 1:14). Jesus didn’t solve humanity’s problems from a distance. He entered our mess. He ate with sinners, touched lepers, wept at tombs, and walked dusty roads. He didn’t send a memo from heaven. He came in person.
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
If the God of the universe chose presence as His primary strategy for reaching a broken world, maybe we should take presence more seriously too. You are never more Christ-like than when you choose to be with someone in their pain instead of running from it.
What Showing Up Actually Looks Like
Showing up isn’t complicated, but it is intentional. It’s not about grand gestures. It’s about consistent, small acts of presence that tell someone, “You are not alone.”
- Sit with someone who’s grieving without trying to fix their pain.
- Send a specific text instead of a generic one: “I’m bringing dinner Thursday at 6” instead of “Let me know if you need anything.”
- Visit the friend who’s been quiet lately. Silence is often a sign of struggle, not contentment.
- Attend the funeral, even if you didn’t know the person well. Your presence says more than you think.
- Check in again after the crisis passes. Most people show up in the first week. The need is greatest in week four and beyond.
“Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.”
Paul’s instruction in Romans 12 is beautifully simple. He doesn’t say “Advise those who mourn” or “Explain suffering to those who are hurting.” He says mourn with them. Enter their experience. Be present in their reality. That’s it. And that’s everything.
Presence Over Productivity
We live in a culture that values productivity over presence. We want to fix, solve, advise, and move on. But the ministry of presence resists that urge. It says, “I don’t have a solution, but I have myself—and I’m here.” Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is put your phone down, look someone in the eye, and listen without formulating a response.
Martha was busy in the kitchen preparing a meal for Jesus. Mary sat at His feet. When Martha complained, Jesus gently corrected her: “Mary has chosen what is better” (Luke 10:42). There’s a time for action. But there’s also a time when the most important thing you can do is simply be with someone.
Finding God in the Act of Serving Others
Explore how serving others becomes an encounter with God Himself.
Reflection: Who in your life needs you to show up this week? Not with advice or answers—just with your presence. What would it look like to reach out today?