Only

Only Luke is with me. 

 - From II Timothy 4

You gotta show up. I have shared this thought before. For most of our lives, this is not based on what we say, or do, or think. Rather, it's whether or not we're there. Or here. Or present. Right now, right now.

When I spent an overnight in a hospital years ago, during a heart scare, I found that I appreciated visitors, but not just to talk to me. I liked it, simply, just for them to be there. In the room. Not even in sight necessarily. It helped for them just to be there. To be present. 

Yesterday in church, Dr. Matt Hook urged us to learn God's will. Not necessarily His will for me. Not His will for the future. Just: His Will. Now. Right here. In this moment. 

And God's will always has to do with others. Taking care of them. Listening to them. And that requires simply that you be there. With them. That's it.

We are sensory beings. We can feel, smell, taste, hear, and see. All of these things bring us the gamut of what it means to be alive. We experience joy, and we experience devastation - all because we have these senses. Our senses are do powerful, that they can easily override our facilities of wisdom and of judgment. It is so easy just to fall back on what feels good. 

It's almost like the war between evil and good is more like a war between feelers and thinkers. The problem is that both sides, in any conflict, claim to be the ones that think, while the those on the other side are the feelers. But therein lies a very important point: Whether we are feelers, or thinkers, humans seem to realize instantly that it is better to be a thinker. 

Paul companions all left him, because something else felt better. They came to miss their warm bed and daily fellowship with friends and family so much, that it was no longer important to them, to stay with Paul, minister to him, and be integral parts of world history and the advancement of God's eternal kingdom. 

But Luke stayed. And Luke is remembered. And Luke will certainly be present in eternity. 

Truth, and eternity, and equity, and justice, and all good things, have nothing to do with democracy and majorities. The closer you get to virtue, the fewer people you will find. 

Only Luke. 

And that is important to remember in these troubled, partisan, bitter times.