When we initially encounter someone, the first impression we give them of who we are and what we’re about is important. And as we continue to interact with others, we deepen their awareness of what makes us unique, informing them of our values and world view. Like it or not, we’re being watched; people size us up and form opinions about us based on how we carry ourselves and how we behave.
And though words are important in communication, in typical social interactions they’re evidently not our primary means of expression; leading research indicates words are far less important than tone and body language, or what we might call personal presence.
We might think of presence as the vibe or energy a person feels emanating from us, a complex interplay of facial expressions, body language, posture and verbal tone. When people are paying attention, they can generally tell when we’re being present, when we are attentive, authentic, dialed in to ourselves, to others and to our environment; they can also tell when we’re checked out, disengaged, posturing, distracted. disinterested in them and in what’s going on around us.
If we are the light of the world (Mt 5:14), if we are ambassadors for Christ (2Co 5:20), we should expect God to encourage and equip us in developing a strong personal presence that’s edifying and impactful. (Php 2:4) This is evidently mostly why we’re still down here on Earth, to influence one another for God’s kingdom. (Mt 5:19)
So, how do we cultivate a personal energy and demeanor that’s eternally impactful?
A primary first step might be to so ground ourselves in God’s presence that He invites others into His presence through our presence. (2Co 4:7) By practicing the presence of God, we consciously develop an authentic, ongoing, continual, unbroken awareness of the immediate presence of God with us, and we acknowledge Him in our midst. (2Co 2:15) Deliberately setting Jehovah always before us (Ps 16:8a) is evidently inherent in loving God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. (De 6:5, Mt 22:37)
Since God is omnipresent (Ps 139:7), we can begin doing this by faith, knowing He is always with us; He has promised to never leave us nor forsake us (He 13:5), so He is here with us right now, within and about us. (Ep 4:6) We “set Jehovah before us”, not by repositioning Him but by re-orienting ourselves, aligning ourselves with His omnipresence and engaging it. This is a matter of paying attention, dialing in, being intentional about focusing on Him. (Php 3:20)
A natural consequence of acknowledging the immediate presence of God is noticing that God Himself is paying attention (Pr 15:3); ever mindful of us (Ps 8:4), and this should motivate us to follow His steps (1Pe 2:2), to pay close attention to ourselves, to others, and to our immediate environment. (1Pe 5:8) Checking out and disengaging from the reality before us is actually irresponsible and offensive; allowing ourselves to be distracted is disrespectful to God and to those in our immediate company. Appreciating every moment of our experience as a perfect gift from God requires being fully present in each moment in and with God, and for God. (Ja 1:17) This is what we’re made for. (1Jn 1:3)
And as we honor the majestic presence of God before us, we might also consider that we’re metaphysically connected to those around us. (Ep 4:25) Loving our neighbors as ourselves (Le 19:18) involves being mindful of them, considering them, giving them our attention with interest when we have opportunity to do them good. (Ga 6:10) This is evidently part and parcel of letting our light shine before others. (Mt 5:16)
And when we’re practicing the presence of God, loving Him, ourselves and others with our undivided, focused attention, we find that we’re unshakeable, unthreatened, confident, unmoved by the distractions and concerns of this life. (Ps 16:8b) We become steadfast, immoveable (1Co 15:58), resilient (Pr 24:16), bold and fearless. (Pr 28:1) This gives is a divine energy, confidence, hope, purpose and peace which others can feel within us. (Php 2:15-16)