Just Show Up!
Insights From Vacation Bible School
It Doesn’t Matter How You Arrive
The Ride There
We all arrived at Vacation Bible School in our own unforgettable ways.
Natasha climbed out of a beat-up van packed with fourteen kids.
Buck rode his lime-green bike with sissy bars and banana seat.
Eric’s mom dropped him off down the street so no one could see her old car.
Ryan showed up in his family’s last-legs Dodge van — his mom, Miss Marla, driving.
Emily came in a carpool.
And Timmy? He rode in a Cadillac Escalade.
Once we were through those doors, though, nobody cared how we got there.
We were just glad to be there.
The Final Ride
Funny how much that simple scene mirrors life.
We spend so much time comparing our rides — our possessions, appearance, titles, or routes — as if how we arrived determines our worth.
We polish the outside, worry about the image, and miss the whole reason we’re here.
But when all is said and done, the question won’t be how we arrived — but if we arrived.
Someday we’ll stand before our Abba Father, not showing off our cars, our resumes, or our trophies, but standing as children who simply showed up in His grace. In that moment, every shiny distraction will fade beside His glory.
Grace Over Status
Jesus never graded people by their “ride.”
He didn’t ask Zacchaeus how nice his house was — He just said, “I’m coming over.”
He didn’t ask the woman at the well about her reputation — He offered her living water.
He didn’t tell the thief on the cross to clean up — He just said, “Today you’ll be with Me.”
Maybe the most faithful thing we can do each day is just show up — to His presence, to His people, to the purpose He’s given us.
We don’t have to arrive impressive.
We just have to arrive available.
Reflection
What “rides” or comparisons distract you from simply showing up in God’s presence?
How might your day change if you focused less on appearance and more on availability?
What would it look like to live with gratitude that you’re already invited — no matter how you got there?
Prayer