REFOCUS
Breathe deeply while you direct the following prayer to God based on John 3:30. “You must increase (inhale as you say this) and (on the exhale) “I must decrease.” Repeat at least five times.
READ
John 14:16-27
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Comforter to help you and be with you forever.
17 The Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.
20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you…
25 All this I have spoken while still with you.
26 But the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid…
REFLECT
A Paraclete or a “Bed Bug Letter”?
There’s an old story about a man who was on a business trip and stayed in a hotel that had a bug problem. There were bugs all over his room. He complained about this to the management and later wrote a letter of complaint to the main office of the hotel chain.
Some time later, he received a letter signed by the president of the company. It said: “We are humiliated that a man of your integrity, a man of your reputation, a man of your importance in the community should have had this experience in one of our hotels. We are deeply sorry.”
This made the man feel somewhat better about the situation until, as he was folding the letter to put it away, he noticed a little piece of paper at the bottom of the envelope, obviously not supposed to have been included. It was in the president’s handwriting and it read: “Send this guy the ‘bug letter’.”
As we go through our day, it is all too easy to pass one another without really engaging. We simply settle for “bug letters” – nice sounding and well-worn words that mean very little. We ask each other, “How are you?” without expecting (nor even really wanting) an answer. We say, “Have a nice day,” or “I’m so sorry,” when our hearts remain unmoved. We promise our “thoughts and prayers” with little intention of actually praying, at times already moving to the next thought while they are still talking.
We often think of how Jesus gave himself to people he met along his way. The child, the leper, the woman, the foreigner all received his attention – even when others ignored them. The Cross is the most powerful example of self-giving. But His focus on giving Himself didn’t end at Calvary.
He told His disciples that after He was gone He would send the “comforter” to them. The word he used here is a combination of two little words: “para” (beside) and “klete” (call). Together they tell us that Jesus would be “called beside” us through the presence of the Holy Spirit. He would walk with us, sit with us, stay with us — being truly present in times of grief and joy.
Truly taking the time to truly be present with others — to listen and connect — can be difficult. It means facing feelings that are uncomfortable and admitting that we don’t have answers to some of life’s problems. It takes slowing down and focusing. It takes setting aside our agendas and our thoughts to provide hope and strength to another – just by being “beside” them. Yet to those who are struggling it is a life-giving gift. All the advice in the world cannot replace the gift of someone who walks with us.
As disciples of Jesus, we know that He has promised to walk beside us. Along the path we will encounter others for whom Jesus wants to walk beside. Will we settle for “bug letters?” Or will we pause long enough to allow Christ’s presence in us to care for and enter into their world with our supportive presence?
RESPOND
Questions to Consider
- Have you experienced Jesus walking beside you before through the presence of the Holy Spirit?
- How do you need Him to walk beside you today?
- Is there someone who may need you to walk beside them?
Prayer
Dear Lord Jesus,
I thank You that You have promised to walk with me through the joys and struggles of life. Bring to mind those who I need to walk beside and give me grace to simply be fully present. Amen.
Blessings,
Rev. James R. Needham, PhD, MDiv