Fully Present Or Self-Absorbed?

I'm gonna piggy-back off of an idea that Derek shared about being present.

Just a few months ago, I was sitting in my office at the high school typing a business email and thinking through my schedule for the day. My head was full of a thousand and one things. Unexpectedly, one of the basketball players I'm coaching poked his head inside my door and asked me a question. I hurriedly answered him -- barely even looking up -- and then went back to my task. In less than 30 seconds, the Holy Spirit came knocking on the door of my conscience. "Robb, you totally missed it. That boy didn't come by to get information -- he came by to have some fellowship -- to simply talk about life. And you were off in some other world -- and made him feel of very little importance. Don't do that again."

Later that afternoon, one of my international students came by. I immediately quit the task at hand. I asked the student to have a seat and I purposed to give my full attention. What an amazing conversation we had -- something important happened -- but I know if I had not been committed to really listening I would have missed it.

I try to take that same sense of concentration and focus into every interaction I have. In the world we live in -- constantly bombarded by sound and information and activity -- it's so easy to just kind of float through the moments with so little of ourselves engaged. And in doing so -- we miss out on so much. The little clues that tell us our daughter simply needs a hug -- or our son wants a few minutes for throwing the football back and forth -- or our wife is in need of hearing that she's beautiful -- or a business associate needs a trusting ear -- or the clerk at the grocery store is desperate to know she matters. It takes work for me to be fully present -- but in practicing it -- I find so much more of eternal value happens when I'm with my wife, my friends, business associates, the players I coach, and new acquaintances. Fully present now equates to being fully alive -- and I don't want to miss out on one single thing!

Jesus came as one who served. From working as a highly skilled carpenter, making exquisite furniture pieces for his customers to becoming the Savior of the world, He wasn't focused on what He was going to get out of each and every situation. He wasn't looking "to get his" or worried about "props." He placed ALL of His life in God's hands and simply walked the earth looking to see where He could be a blessing to others. I want to have more of a heart like that...

For Jesus, being fully alive meant beginning every day being fully present with God in prayer. I'm working on that one too!