I'm with you!

You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant–not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. (2 Corinthians 3:3-6 NIV84)


E-mails, posts, tweets, texts, blogs, and phone calls are all great ways to stay in touch with friends, family, co-workers, and your PLN (professional learning network). I am as connected as anyone on the planet. I still prefer face-to-face. It is one thing to tell someone you are with them in spirit. It is completely another to actually be with them.

When I tell someone "I'm with you.", it helps to REALLY be with them. When I tell someone I'm with them in spirit, who does it help? More likely it helps me more than the person needing my support. It's not always possible to be with someone during a crisis. I know that. There may be a small level of relief to know someone is thinking about you, even if they can't be there. Still, there's nothing better than walking shoulder to shoulder with someone going through a crisis. You can really tell your key supporters if they STAND with you.

That's why Christ sent us the Holy Spirit. It's nice to know that "Jesus Loves Me". Jesus knew that we needed more. So, he sent his Spirit to live within us. Now, this concept seems foreign to non-believers. The Spirit of Christ is not the same as telling someone you will be with them. When I tell someone I am with them, I can not physically affect them during each step of the crisis. The Holy Spirit of Christ never leaves us and directly impacts how we feel and react during a crisis.

Those of us who have committed our lives to Christ, know of the presence of the Spirit in our lives. We have personally felt the affect of the Spirit actually comforting, guiding, and influencing us when we need it the most. If you haven't felt that kind of presence, you don't know what you're missing. You can feel that presence, you just have to ask. You just have to turn everything over to Christ and he will send that Spirit directly into each moment of your life. Truly, he is WITH US!