Why Presence Matters More Than Documentation

I’ve been realizing that one of my biggest obstacles hasn’t been fear, burnout, or lack of discipline.

It’s my desire for excellence.

Or, more honestly, my attachment to it.

I’ve been carrying this recurring and nagging pressure that every meaningful moment needs to be fully captured. Fully documented. Fully optimized. That if someone opens up, I owe the internet a complete version of it — short form and long form, depth and follow-up, continuity and proof.

And somewhere in that desire for excellence, I started centering myself instead of the moment and the person in front of me.

I’ve begun to see myself not as a content system or a walking production plan, but as a person moving through the world — present, curious, available. Someone who stops, listens, honors the moment… and then keeps going.

I remembered something important:

Impact doesn’t require documentation to be perfect.

That truth was reinforced recently when I ran into two men I hadn’t seen in months. One of them is a pastor. They told me that they were just talking about me — But they couldn’t remember my name!😂😂

This is so funny because I always tell people when witnessing “After we depart, you won’t remember my face, you won’t remember my name, but you’ll remember how you felt in this moment.

I got to see that in real time with this conversation. A moment that stayed with them because of God’s faithfulness and my willingness and obedience to say “Yes”.

There was no camera involved. And that is partially what caused me to reflect:

Most people will never follow up.
Most people will never click through.
Most people will never look for more.

And that’s okay.

They still count as impact.

They still carry the question.
They still talk to their friends.
They still wonder.

Faithfulness isn’t measured by conversion metrics or retention graphs. Some fruit grows underground, and I’ll never see it in this life. But I believe we’ll get to rejoice together in heaven about these faithful moments with the people we stopped with, intentionally.

Scripture has been saying this all along.

Jesus didn’t say, “Once you have everything figured out, go.”

He said, “As you go.”

As you walk.
As you travel.
As you eat.
As you notice people.
As you live.

Somewhere along the way, I turned as you go into once you’re ready. And I don’t think that was ever the point.

I’m learning to loosen my grip — not because excellence doesn’t matter, but because joy does. Delight does. Presence does. Trust does.

God isn’t asking me to extract fruit from every moment.

He’s asking me to be faithful in the ones He gives me.

So I’m choosing to enjoy this again.

To enjoy being outside.
To enjoy people.
To enjoy rollerblading
To enjoy laughing and noticing others.
To enjoy and give thanks to God.

If something needs to be remembered, it will be.
If something needs to grow, it will.
And if it needs to remain private, so be it.

And if all that happens is a good conversation and a shared laugh —

That was never wasted.

That was the work.

Grateful for you today, meeting me in the middle of the story ❤️

— Jared
Messy, Moving, Made for more