The Ministry of Showing Up

In our last post, we talked about why relationships matter and how they can create the space for transformation. But beginning a relationship isn’t always that simple. Most people don’t meet a stranger and immediately start sharing their life story. Typically, you need to build a foundation of trust first. Trust is largely built on a few key principles: consistency, transparency, vulnerability, and reliability. You usually don’t get vulnerability without trust, and you usually don’t get trust without time. And not just “2 months went by, and I’m seeing you for the second time” time, but “it’s been 3 months, and I’ve seen you every other week” time. Showing up once can communicate care. Showing up consistently communicates commitment, and commitment helps build trust. Those simple moments of faithfulness may not seem significant on their own, but over time they begin to build something deeper.

When you show up week after week, month after month, or whatever that cadence looks like for each person, something begins to happen: you start to notice things. You notice a new guest, someone isn’t there who normally is, someone got a haircut. You can ask about a job interview that was shared with you two weeks ago, or ask how someone’s daughter is doing because you remembered her name. Over time, someone is no longer just a guest you serve. You begin to know them, and they begin to know you. Consistency allows people to be known, not just served. When we are reliable, we can reflect something of God’s faithfulness and give credibility to the words we speak about Him. Our consistency gives weight to what we say. 

There is value in remembering someone, sitting with someone, serving someone, and being dependable even before a deeper conversation ever happens. Not every week will include a deep conversation or an obvious moment of transformation. Sometimes the most meaningful conversations happen because weeks or months of ordinary moments came first. What makes an ordinary moment meaningful is sometimes simply knowing there will be another one next week. And when opportunities for deeper conversations about Christ come, a relationship is already underneath the words. Sharing God’s love is no longer just a phrase spoken by a stranger; it is being shared within the context of trust, leaving room for God to do the transforming work. And that is the ministry of showing up.