Isaiah 29:13 And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me,(ESV)
You can show up without being there. Your body can be sitting at your desk while your mind checked out hours ago. You can go on vacation, sit somewhere beautiful, and spend the entire trip thinking about work.
Physical location doesn’t guarantee presence. Relationships work the same way.
You can sit across the table from someone you love while barely hearing what they’re saying. You can be home with your children while your attention is somewhere else. You can attend church, sing the songs, listen to the message, and leave without ever really engaging with any of it.
You were there. But were you there?
Isaiah describes people who came near to God with their mouths while their hearts remained far away. Their physical presence and outward actions didn’t necessarily reveal where their hearts actually were.
Before we go any further, though, we need to be careful. Being checked out in one area doesn’t mean you’re checked out everywhere.
You might be completely disengaged at work today and deeply engaged with your family tonight. You might be an attentive spouse while struggling to engage as a parent. You might be doing well in both of those relationships while neglecting yourself.
Even within the same relationship, your level of engagement can change from one subject to another. And sometimes you’re simply tired.
We can’t be completely present for everything every moment of every day. Our minds wander. We get distracted. We become overwhelmed. Sometimes we need a break. There’s nothing automatically wrong with that.
The question becomes more important when we begin noticing a pattern.
So today, don’t try to fix anything. Just pay attention.
When you’re talking to someone, are you listening to understand them, or waiting for the conversation to end?
When you’re doing something important, are you actually thinking about what you’re doing?
Do you still have curiosity about what happens next?
Do you care about the outcome?
Are you participating, or are you simply going through motions that have become familiar enough to perform without thinking?
And when you notice yourself leaving, don’t immediately condemn yourself for it.
Instead, ask a simpler question: Where did I go?
Maybe your mind went to something that happened yesterday. Maybe it went to something you’re worried about tomorrow. Maybe you’re exhausted. Maybe you’re bored. Maybe something hurt. Maybe you simply needed a few minutes away.
You don’t have to diagnose everything today. For now, just learn to recognize the difference between occupying a place and actually being present in it.
Then begin noticing where the difference appears.
God asked Adam a remarkable question after the fall: “Where are you?” — Genesis 3:9
God didn’t need Adam’s coordinates. Adam was still in the garden. But something had changed.
So over the next few days, ask yourself the same question in different places.
At work: Where are you?
With your spouse: Where are you?
With your children: Where are you?
With your friends: Where are you?
When you’re alone: Where are you?
When you’re praying: Where are you?
Don’t panic when the answer occasionally turns out to be, “Somewhere else.” That’s going to happen.
But start paying attention when you discover that you keep disappearing from the same places.
A vacation is temporary.
If you keep going back to the same place to escape, it may be time to ask why.
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