Because You Are There for Me (01/27/2026)

Last night I was sitting on my screened porch, listening to the strong wind and talking to our LORD about my day. I gave thanks for the many friends who have blessed my days with their kindnesses and presence. I gave thanks for the 8 teenagers who were in the faith formation class that I am preparing to teach this Wednesday and who reminded me of the hope budding in that generation. I gave thanks for my family and the impact their love and lives have upon me. I prayed for those who are ill that they may be healed and comforted. As I sat with the LORD feeling the LORD’s loving presence, I asked for one thing before I said “good night.”  “LORD, I want to be there for others because You are there for me. Help me, please.”

Where would I be without the LORD? As I ponder that, which I do frequently, I am flooded with a sense of gratitude that compels action. So frequently in prayer I am reminded of Jesus’ command: “Love one another as I have loved you.” Last night when I was teaching the teenagers, we discussed Jesus’ words. I took out my pocket crucifix and laid it on the table. We looked at it for a few moments. Then I said, “Can you see how totally Jesus loved us? We’re being called to love one another that well, that deeply, that selflessly, that wholly.”

That is behind this blog and the daily scripture reflections. We are called to be there for one another as the LORD is there for us, to companion one another, to lovingly care for and minister to one another. This morning, I pray that all of us will recognize the LORD’s command as what it is, an invitation to be there for others because the LORD is there for us. I pray that we all can commit to being present to those we encounter, that we might seek to learn their story, and that we might accompany them on the Way.

Let us all commit this day to love well, to love long, to love because the LORD not only loves us but because the LORD is love. Let us remain in the LORD long after we finish our morning prayer and say, “Amen.” Let us be instruments of the LORD’s love wherever we go, whomever we encounter, whatever we are doing.

Until tomorrow, love well.