You Look Like Where You've Been

You Look Like Where You've Been

There is a simple truth that most of us have experienced without ever putting it into words. When someone walks through the door after a long day of physical labor, you know it. When a friend comes in from a camping trip, you know it. When a mechanic slides out from under a car, you know it. The evidence of where they have been is written all over them — on their clothes, their hands, their face. You do not need them to explain themselves. Their appearance tells the story.

Now consider this question, and let it sit with you for a moment: when people encounter you, can they tell where you have been?

Specifically, can they tell that you have been in the presence of God?

This is not a question designed to produce guilt. It is an invitation. It is perhaps one of the most clarifying questions a believer can ask, because the answer has the power to reshape how we approach every single day.

The Evidence That Speaks for Itself

In Acts chapter 4, Peter and John stood before rulers and elders after a miraculous healing had taken place. These were uneducated, ordinary men. They had no political standing, no formal theological training, no institutional authority. And yet the people observing them were astonished. The text tells us that those watching recognized that Peter and John had been with Jesus. They could not explain it away. The evidence was simply there.

That is a remarkable thing. The presence of Jesus had so marked these men that it was visible to hostile observers in a tense, high-stakes setting. They were not in a worship service. They were not surrounded by people who wanted to believe them. And yet the residue of time spent with Jesus was undeniable.

This raises a challenge for every believer. The disciples walked with Jesus in the flesh, witnessed His miracles, stood at the cross, and encountered the risen Christ. But we are not left without access to that same transforming presence. The Holy Spirit — the very Spirit of Christ — dwells in and moves among those who believe. The same transformation is available. The same evidence can be present. The question is whether we are positioning ourselves to receive it.

A Simple Progression Worth Practicing

There is a beautiful simplicity to how this transformation actually happens. It is not complicated, though it does require intention. Think of it as a progression with five movements.

Come. In John chapter 7, Jesus extends an open invitation to anyone who is thirsty. He does not qualify it. He does not create a waiting list. He simply says, come. The problem is that in a world of abundance, we can easily forget that we are thirsty at all. We fill ourselves with everything available to us and then wonder why we feel empty. But the invitation stands. Thirst is actually a gift, because it tells you where to go. And the promise is that if you come to Him, out of your innermost being will flow rivers of living water.

Sit. Coming is not enough if we immediately turn around and leave. In Luke chapter 10, Mary sat at the feet of Jesus and listened while her sister Martha rushed around managing the details of hospitality. Jesus gently corrected Martha's frustration and said that Mary had chosen the better thing. We live in a culture that glorifies busyness and speed. We are conditioned to rush everything — including our moments with God. But transformation requires lingering. Second Corinthians chapter 3 tells us that as we behold the glory of the Lord, we are being transformed into that same image from one degree of glory to another. You cannot behold something you refuse to pause and look at.

See. When we position ourselves in the presence of God, He begins to show us things we would not otherwise notice. Paul walked into a crowd in Ephesus and saw something in a group of twelve men that prompted a conversation, which led to them receiving the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues and prophesying. That kind of spiritual perception does not come from human cleverness. It comes from time spent with the One who sees all things. Spiritual gifts are released in greater measure when we are tuned to what the Spirit is showing us. The question worth asking is this: who have I been walking past without really seeing?

Give. This is where many believers stop short. We receive from God and then hold it close, as though the encounter was only ever meant for us. But in Acts chapter 3, when Peter encountered a man lame from birth at the temple gate, he did not walk past or offer sympathy. He said plainly that he had no silver or gold, but what he did have, he would give. What God places in you through time in His presence is not meant to stay there. It is meant to be offered. Prayer, encouragement, truth, a moment of genuine attention — these are things birthed in the presence of God and meant to be shared.

Glorify. Signs and wonders, moments of healing, words of encouragement — all of it should point somewhere. Peter, even after a miraculous healing drew a crowd, was quick to redirect the attention. He asked the people why they were staring at him and John as though the power came from within themselves. Then he pointed them to Jesus. Every good thing that flows from a life spent in God's presence should ultimately draw people toward Him, not toward us.

A Practical Starting Point

The full progression may feel like a lot to take in at once. So consider starting with just the first two. This week, come and sit. Simply create space in your day to come into the presence of God and remain there long enough to actually be shaped by it. Do not rush in with a list of requests and rush back out. Just come. Just sit. Let the transformation begin there.

The world around you is full of people who are thirsty and do not know where to go. They need to encounter someone who looks like they have been somewhere worth going.

The question is whether that someone will be you.