Looking Out   -   "Showing Up"

Relationships are strengthened by two people being present for one another. Physically, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. When you show up for one another during the good and bad times, when we stand together through thick and thin, and navigate the challenges that life throws at us. Have you ever had someone say to you later in life, you were there for me “You kept showing up for me”. There is a hidden value to showing up, it is a form of resistance to a world that seems hellbent on enshrining our feelings as the arbiter of our actions. Showing up is an act, and the actions of love, often precede the feelings. Life rarely unfolds in the way we envision. Despite our best laid plans, our journeys have a knack for asserting themselves, veering off into unexpected paths. I am sure many stories could be told for places like Parramatta Mission and Wayside Chapel, about what “showing up” means for people that come in and tell their Life Stories. And in Matthew 18:20 it says, “When two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” When God’s people show up, there is power. There is power in your presence because Jesus is alive and living in you and in me. The advice given is often: “Showing up is half the battle. Don’t be afraid. Just show up first and see what happens.” People believe in others and continue encouragement for many years, they share their gift of encouragement, to show that life has purpose and meaning. We need the love of Jesus. And we need to show up and share that love with others because at the end of the day, that’s all that matters.YES, showing up looks different now and the timing of things feels different too in light of COVID - 19 (and all the other difficult circumstances of 2020), but people keep showing up with love and a good-encouraging words in their sharing. Now, more than ever God’s people need to reach out, show up and keep encouraging each other, to the end. We need new ideas and wisdom beyond our experience to build His Kingdom. On reflection, how have we felt love from our friends and Community through our best and worst days?