08/18/2025
The Power of Presence
This last Sunday I had so much more to share than time to share it. The last Emotional Management Technique was to stay present in the process. Just as Jesus stayed with the woman who was judged and found guilty by the angry crowd, we stay by our children and our friends, especially when they need us the most. Here a couple of examples and a biblical insight that reiterate that point for us parents and for we who strive to be faithful friends.
The first example is what we’re going to call the Bike-Wobble Moment. Say your child is learning to ride without training wheels.
Instead of holding the seat the whole way or stopping every time they start to tip, you jog alongside — close enough to catch them if they’re going to fall hard, but far enough for them to pedal, wobble, and correct themselves.
While you’re jogging alongside you might offer small, steady encouragement: “You’ve got it… keep looking ahead… good correction!” And they learn to balance without you taking over.
Or consider the Tough Homework Assignment. Your middle schooler is frustrated with a math problem.
Instead of solving it for them, you pull up a chair and say, “Let’s read the problem together.”
You ask guiding questions, help them think out loud, and keep your tone calm even if they’re flustered.
By staying at their side — without doing the work — you help them push through frustration and discover they can solve it themselves.
So where does this precedent of being a calming and guiding presence come from?
Try Exodus 14.
When Israel is trapped between Pharaoh’s army and the Red Sea, God doesn’t just teleport them to safety. He stays present in the process with a pillar of cloud and fire, holding the enemy at bay while Moses parts the sea. The people still have to walk the long, intimidating path between walls of water — but they’re never alone in it.
One of the last things Jesus says to his disciples has always been one of the chief promises of God—at least for me. “Lo, I will be with you always, even until the end of the age.” To be able to make and follow through on that promise throughout your child’s first 18 years is about as powerful gift any parent or grandparent or friend can give!
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