Your less is more than you think

You might be the one God uses to shine light into a darkness that has dimmed someone’s heart years ago. It might be what feels like nothing you do matters is slowly, steadily brightening someone’s path out of the prison lockdown they sit in daily.

The presence of you may be what allows another to finally lean on someone besides themselves, experiencing the first exhale they’ve ever had the courage to release. You might be the steady anchor when you merely reach out to hug the one you haven’t seen in a few weeks. The few weeks they had were darker than you realize.

The gift of yourself you think needs to be on sale to be noticed just might be the gift that fits the hole of someone’s heart in all its wholeness and vastness and full-priced-ness.

You might not realize the value you bring in just being yourself. You might think you only bring value if you bake the sourdough loaf or do the laundry for your spouse. Little did you know the bright smile or ease of laughter warmed the room and helped your loved one take a hard step they were avoiding (baking and laundry help too, though!).

It might be the presence of your spirit that brings the love of His Spirit, enveloping this stranger you sit next to on the bus. His mysterious ways using you to speak His grace to a stranger who has fallen away. Or who never knew the One who forgives.

You may be the angel who answered the response of the distressed. “I’m drowning, I need help!”, the sound of your footsteps bringing instant relief in knowing they are not alone.

The tears trapped in the bones of the sorrowful may be unleashed to stream down cheeks where the healing can finally happen. Your silent, loving presence can be enough.

You’ll someday be the one they think to call when the news is good, trusting you enough to know you’ll share in their joy and not diminish it.

Consider this interesting discovery in Pete Greig’s book, God on Mute:

“The University of Wisconsin’s Center for the Study of Pain conducted an experiment in which researchers timed how long volunteers could keep their feet in buckets of freezing water. They discovered something very remarkable: whenever a companion was allowed in the room with the person whose feet were being frozen, he or she could endure the cold for twice as long as those who suffered alone. “The presence of another caring person doubles the amount of pain a person can endure,” the researchers said. The same undoubtedly true of emotional pain, and here again, we see that “human beings are the language of God.” ¹

What if enduring the suffering of another is helping them endure double the amount of testing life is throwing at them?

Your simple presence offers more than you think.

1. Pete Greig, God on Mute: Engaging the Silence of Unanswered Prayer (Zondervan, 2020), p. 188.

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Heather Mather is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) in private practice in Newport Beach, CA, seeing clients in-person and telehealth all over California. Contact info: 303-250-1538, 1151 Dove St, Suite 100, Newport Beach, CA, 92660.

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