My son and I recently attended a special event for a friend of ours. I didn’t think much of our decision to attend. At the end of the night, they let us know that it totally made their night to have us there. This blew me away because I was thinking that I didn’t do anything special. And then the thought came to me, “You showed up.”
That got me thinking about how much it means to simply show up in the lives of those we love and care about. I thought about the many times I have been on the receiving end of people “showing up” for me. And how small and simple gestures have brought me to tears because they were given in the exact moment that I needed them. And I cherish the memories I have of those individuals who have been there for me.
Think about the last time you physically “showed up” to an event, performance, or even just lunch at school with your child. Did you see their face light up? Did you see the joy that your mere presence brought to them? Did you know that you just told them so many things through this one action?
You said you love them. You told them that they matter. You showed them what they think, like, and do are important. You told them you are proud of them. You showed them they can trust you to always be there. You said, “You are special.”
Think about how incredibly powerful that is. You have the power to give stability, comfort, relief, and joy to another person.
Our children, our families, and our friends need us to show up. More importantly, the Lord needs us to show up so we can do His work and love His children.
We can’t always show up physically, but we can show up emotionally and mentally.
We “show up” when we call or text and say “Good luck today!” or “I’m thinking about you.”
We show up when we ask our kids about their day or leave a note in their lunch box.
We show up when we remember special days and occasions.
We show up when we offer help and service.
We show up when we are vulnerable and share our thoughts and experiences with another person.
We show up when we ask our friend how their job interview went, or how they are coping with struggles in their lives.
We show up just by being there.
The best part is that this is something we can all do. You don’t need any special talents. You don’t need any education, qualifications, or experience. All you need to do is to be a person.
We aren’t meant to go through life alone. The truth is we need each other. The act of “showing up” for those we love may seem too simple; almost trivial. But what is just another day to you can be everything to someone else. More often than not, showing up is what is truly needed the most.
I love the simplicity of this post! It’s true, just being there for people is all they really need. Sometimes we vet caught up in thinking that we can do enough, or say the right things in a hard situation, so why bother going? But showing up beings that connection with the other person and let’s them k ow that you care! Great post!
Thank you for reading! You make the perfect point that sometimes we overcomplicate it, but being there is sometimes all people need!
Everything about this post is so true. The idea of showing up and showing support is so easy yet so many people miss the inportantace of it. Often times people are left feeling alone when people they love aren’t there for them for important/special events. Which is why I make it a priority to attend all of my son’s events, big or small. It doesn’t matter. Whether it’s 10 minutes or a few hours Mama is there to show her son how much he means to me. Great read! I really enjoyed it!
Thanks for sharing! I agree the little things really add up to a lot!