"I Am With You"

Photo credit: Free-images.com

During recess, adults who serve as playground monitors tend to stay in the background. They don’t interact with the kids much but are ready if a child needs help. Sometimes, especially if a big kid is chasing him, a small child will run over and stand next to one of these adults. He knows she’ll protect him as long as he’s standing close to her. The playground monitors are always present but, until they need help, the kids don’t pay much attention to them.

We can take this image and expand it, and apply it to God. Though we’ve heard it many times, we sometimes need to remind ourselves that God is always with us; there’s never a time when He’s not with us. Unlike the adults on the playground, though, our Lord isn’t a distant bystander. He’s not watching us with indifference until we need a favor from Him. Rather, He’s watching with a loving, burning desire for us to acknowledge His presence and ‘stand close to Him.’ He wants us to come to Him many times throughout our day to share with Him not only our fears and concerns but also our joys, as we do with a dear friend. He wants us to include Him even in the ordinary happenings of our lives. He wants us to see every moment as an opportunity to stand close to Him.  

What does this look like?

In the morning, we thank Him for His loving presence and ask Him to show us what He wants us to do as we go about our day. We’re mindful of Him as we work, whether at home or outside the home. Being mindful of His presence with us, we look for ways to go out of our way to be kind and compassionate – to show Him to the people around us. Before we make a phone call or join a meeting, we ask Him to guide our words and help us listen with an open heart. When someone does or says something to us that’s kind or helpful, we thank God for that person. Even while we’re driving or doing a mundane chore like folding laundry or mowing the lawn, we talk to Him honestly about whatever is on our mind. Talking with Him about it draws our hearts closer to His. When we do these things, over time we’ll get to know better, first-hand, His deep Love for us; we’ll want to align our will with His, and we’ll find joy and peace in doing so.

Let’s remember that God is always with us, not as an indifferent bystander but as our loving companion, friend, and confidant. Let’s do our part to look for Him and stand close to Him, not just in times of trouble but in every moment of our day.

“Know that I am with you… I will never leave you.” – Genesis 28:15

Let everything I do be with You, for You, and because of You.

Thank you for reading my reflection.  All thanks to God for giving me the ideas and guiding my words!    © 2025 Gina Bedell   

  

Through these reflections, I invite you, the reader, to reflect on a given topic and then seek deeper answers through prayer, additional spiritual reading, and/or consultation with clergy or other qualified persons in order to grow in your faith and understanding of God’s love and will for your life. 

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P.S.

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