A Comforting Presence

Today, the missionaries helped me clean the church building, just not directly. They didn't do any vacuuming or any cleaning of bathrooms, though I'm sure that, time permitting, they would have helped me, had I asked. Instead, they helped me just by being there.

You see, I'm a bit ashamed to admit it, but I sometimes feel my courage lapse when I'm in the church building alone. There are many people who have access to the church building, and there are many classrooms in which a person could hide. It can be dark in there, when the lights are off, and I am sometimes afraid of being alone in there, and not actually being sure that I am alone.

But today, I'm glad I wasn't alone. I knew there were missionaries in the building, and their presence in the building gave me comfort.

I should seek to gain that kind of comfort from God. He doesn't always help me directly, at least not in any overt way, but His presence, even His mere existence, can give me some measure of comfort. It's like someone holding your hand. That doesn't do much to help you, and in fact, when you need both your hands, too much hand-holding can be an impediment, but it feels comforting all the same. God may not want to give me as much direct help as I want Him to, but He can at least give me the comfort of knowing that He's there, and that can be enough.

So, yes, when I'm in the church building, or when I'm trying to get through life, it can be frightening to feel alone, but it's comforting to know that, as long as I have faith in God, I never have to feel fully alone.