There is something special, even sacred, about physical presence. Isn’t "just being with" a person the essence of relationship? The promised presence of God in our lives is sufficient, but his presence is often (mostly?) mediated through fellow humans. Right?
You need others.
You are needed by others.
Henri Nouwen, speaking about joy, really gets at the importance of physical presence. He says this:
Joy is hidden in compassion. The word compassion literally means "to suffer with." It seems quite unlikely that suffering with another person would bring joy. Yet being with a person in pain, offering simple presence to someone in despair, sharing with a friend times of confusion and uncertainty. . . such experiences can bring us deep joy. Not happiness, not excitement, not great satisfaction, but the quiet joy of being there for someone else and living in deep solidarity with our brothers and sisters in this human family. Often this is a solidarity in weakness, in brokenness, in woundedness, but it leads us to the center of joy, which is sharing our humanity with others.
Someone probably needs you today.
Just be there.
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