Love That Can’t Be Ignored

“Let all that you do be done in love.”

1 Corinthians 16:14 

If you drove past our house when I was growing up, you might have seen a garden hose hanging from the highest limb of the big oak tree out front.

That wasn’t an accident. That was Granddad.

Every time he came to town for a doctor’s visit, he would stop by our house, usually without any warning. He made it a point to leave behind a sign of his visit.

After waiting around a bit, He would wander to the side of the house, grab the water hose, and send it soaring into the leaves. And I would come home from school, pull up the driveway, and there it was swaying in the wind.

My mom would burst into laughter. Dad would shake his head, muttering as he wrestled it down. And me? I never understood why.

But now I think I get it. It was his way of saying, I was here. I care about you.

It was odd, yes. Unconventional, absolutely. But that’s the thing about real love—you can’t ignore it.

And isn’t that exactly what Jesus calls us to do? To leave behind proof of love.

He didn’t come in the conventional way either. With him, He healed, He forgave, and He gave dignity to those others ignored. He did not leave people wondering if He had been there. His love left a mark.

So today, when you have the chance, don’t hold back. Leave love behind. Send the message. Give the encouragement. Show up for someone in a way they won’t forget.

Because sometimes, love looks like words. And sometimes, it looks like a hose hanging in a tree.

/by

God’s Road to Redemption

“Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”

Luke 15:7

It started with a road trip—one my dad took very seriously. He and Mom were helping me move into college, and once that car hit the highway, there was no stopping him. The man had a mission, and absolutely nothing was getting in the way.

Or so he thought.

We stopped for gas in a little Arkansas town called Hoxie. Mom slipped inside while Dad filled the tank, stretched his legs, and glanced at the passenger seat. A bundle of blankets sat where Mom had been, and in his focused little world, that was good enough.

So off he went.

Eight and a half hours later, he made another fuel stop, turned to speak to Mom, and came face-to-face with… no one.

The realization hit like a brick to the face.

By the time he screeched back into that gas station, Mom was pacing the parking lot like a firecracker with a short fuse. Her arms were crossed tight, her lips pressed thin.

When she saw him, she leveled him with a stare so sharp it could have cut glass.

“You need your head examined.”

Now, I can’t help but laugh every time I tell that story. My dad had never been more grateful to still be alive. But isn’t that just like life?

How many times have we made a mistake that took us further than we ever intended to go? Maybe not eight and a half hours out of the way, but far enough to wonder if we could ever make it right.

But here is the truth, dear one. God never leaves us stranded.

You are never too far gone for God to come back for you. The same God who turns pain into joy, regret into wisdom, and mistakes into redemption is holding out His hand.

Whatever wrong turn you have taken, trust me—He knows exactly how to bring you home.

/by

God Sees Your Tears

,

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”

Psalms 103:2-5

I did not expect waiting to feel like this.

From the time I was very young, I dreamed of being a mom.  I would name my dolls and dream of the day I would hold a baby of my own. When I married at eighteen, my husband and I shared that dream—but we decided to wait a couple of years before starting our family.

But life doesn’t always follow the plans we make, does it?

At twenty, I lost my first pregnancy. The pain was unbearable, but I reassured myself, Next time will be different. Except it wasn’t. Year after year, I didn’t get pregnant again. Instead of searching for answers, I buried my grief in busyness, trying to outrun the pain.

But the ache only grew.

I whispered prayers like “God, I trust You,” while my soul screamed in doubt. I begged Him to move. When He didn’t, I pleaded for Him to at least take away the longing. But He didn’t. Instead, He let me carry it.

And that was the hardest part.

I wrestled with that silence. If He was good, why was He withholding this good thing? If He loved me, why did He feel so distant? I did not have answers, only the daily decision to trust Him even when I could not understand Him.

Then, one day…Wow God!

My son JD was born in 2007, and Jesse followed in 2008. The moment I held them, the years of waiting suddenly made sense. Because I was different. The waiting had shaped me, deepened me, changed me. I wasn’t just a mother—I was a mother who had learned to trust in the silence.

I call my boys tender mercy and loving kindness because that’s what they are. God heard me, and He healed me through their love.

In the same way, if today you are struggling with an aching heart and the sting of silence, please know this: God sees every tear, hears every prayer, and is not indifferent to your pain. Hold on, because your story is still unfolding. God still has so much in store for you.

/by

Stay Sharp, Embrace Growth

,

“Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”

Proverbs 27:17

The knife glided cleanly through the onion. Slice. Chop. Repeat. At least something in this house was working the way it should.

I, on the other hand, felt anything but sharp.

Lately, my mind felt sluggish and foggy. Simple conversations took more effort. Work felt harder. Even at church, where I usually felt confident, I found myself struggling. I did not feel as clever or creative as I normally am. I knew it was just part of this postpartum season, but it was frustrating all the same.

My husband Chris walked in the kitchen and asked how I was feeling. So I began to share.

Though I was not speaking well about myself or my current situation, he did not dismiss my feelings. In fact, instead he leaned across the counter and reminded me of what the Word of God says. He continued by making sure I knew how important I am to him and to the Lord.

“Look, I know how you are feeling,” he said gently. “But, Bri, your faith and your words have to match! You are still working to where you want to be.”

Something about his words cut straight through the noise in my head. It was a simple statement loaded with so much truth. I wanted to argue, to explain why I felt justified in my discouragement. But deep down, I knew he was right.

Later, as I picked up the knife again, I thought about what it takes to keep a blade like this sharp. It does not happen by accident. It has to be sharpened, honed, and pressed against something that refines it.

I closed my eyes for a moment. “Thank You, Lord, for a husband who sharpens me every time instead of letting me stay stuck.”

Being sharpened is not always comfortable. It takes truth, challenge, and people willing to say the hard things in love. It is easy to resist sharpening because it requires friction. But dullness is not what we were made for. The people who love us enough to challenge us—those are the ones who help us become who God intends us to be.

Do not push them away. Embrace it, and let God give you the edge to be exactly who He has called you to be.

/by

How God Provides Abundantly

“Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.”

Malachi 3:10 

Have you ever felt a pit in your stomach when you take leaps of faith? That is exactly what happened to our friend Kristie. Here is her story of generosity.

“‘Honey,’ I said hesitantly across the kitchen table, ‘once this goes through, we will barely have enough money to make it this month.’

My husband did not flinch. ‘God has us.’

I wanted to believe that. Truly, I did. However, tithing—giving ten percent of our income—felt like standing at the edge of a cliff with no safety net. Still, I took a shaky breath and pressed submit. Faith over fear.

The next morning, the knot in my chest had not loosened. But as I listened to my comfort station, 88.7 The Cross, I felt a different ache in my heart to give to the ministry.

‘God, you are in control,’ I whispered, knuckles white on the steering wheel. ‘You will provide.’

It felt like jumping out of an airplane with no parachute, but before I could talk myself out of it, I called and made a monthly donation.

As soon as I hung up, panic rushed in. What did I just do?

That afternoon, there was a knock at my office door. My husband stood there, eyes shining, holding a check.

‘Grandma sent this. She said God put it on her heart.’

I stared at the check. It was more than we had given and more than we needed! Tears welled up. This wasn’t just blind faith anymore. This was proof. God didn’t just ask me to trust Him—He showed me why I could.”

Perhaps today, you are standing at your own kitchen table, staring at a decision that feels impossible. Let this be your reminder. On the other side of obedience, you are falling into the hands of a God who always provides. He has never failed, and he will not start now.

/by

Jesus Walks with You

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

Psalms 23:4

Charles had always believed in God, but he had never felt His presence quite like this.

One evening, he sat in his study, flipping through his well-worn Bible, and found himself lost in the story of Mary Magdalene. Closing his eyes, he let his imagination take over.

He pictured her standing in a garden, heartbroken. He could almost hear the rustling leaves and feel the damp earth beneath Mary’s feet as she wept outside of Jesus’ empty tomb.

She thought everything was lost. Through her tears, she barely noticed the man standing near her—until He spoke.

“Mary.”

It was one word. One moment. One voice she never thought she would hear again. It was Jesus, and that changed everything! He had been there all along, closer than she had realized.

Charles leaned over his desk, and in that instant, the presence of God was so real to him. It was so close. It was as if he himself were standing in that garden. He could even feel Mary’s heart leap as she realized—Jesus was alive.

His own heart pounded because this wasn’t just Mary’s story. It was his along with every believer’s story. Inspired, he reached for a pen and began to write a hymn.

” I come to the garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses…And He walks with me, and He talks with me, and He tells me I am His own…”

Over the years, “In the Garden” became more than just a song. It played at funerals, in church pews, and in hospital rooms where the weight of the world felt unbearable. The words were a reminder that Jesus was always near.

Perhaps today, you too feel like Mary, searching for hope, wondering where God is. Please know this—He is with you. When the weight of the world feels like too much, and when you can’t see the way ahead, He is there, closer than you think.

 

/by

Love Heals

,

“We love because He first loved us.”

1 John 4:19

Love heals.

For most of my adult life, I dreamed of being a mom. I imagined late-night cuddles, tiny fingers wrapped around mine, and whispered “I love you’s” as I rocked my baby to sleep. In retrospect, I think it was because I wanted someone I could love.

And then, after years and years of infertility, I was blessed with my son, JD. Holding him, feeding him, memorizing every tiny feature—it was everything I had hoped for and more. Finally, I had someone to care for with my whole heart, without fear of rejection.

I soaked up every moment of being his mama. Loving him was the most natural thing in the world. But, one day, when JD was three, something happened I never saw coming.

He climbed into my lap, wrapped his little arms around me, and whispered, “Mommy, I love you so much.”

I froze.

Of course, I had said those words to him a thousand times. But hearing them spoken back? It stopped me in my tracks. Not because I didn’t know he loved me, but because I had never really considered what it would feel like to be loved back.

For years, I focused only on giving, pouring out what I had to offer. But in that simple moment, I understood something important: you cannot give what you haven’t allowed yourself to receive.

And I think that is true for a lot of us.

We give. We care. We pour out, hoping that in the giving, we will somehow be made whole. But love was never meant to be a one-way thing.

You were created to be loved, too.

Not just by family, not just by friends, but by the very One who knit you together. And His love? It is the kind of love that sees you, chooses you, and holds you close—no strings attached.

Love was never meant to be a one-way street.

Let love in. Let Him in.

Because love—real love—doesn’t just heal the people you pour into.

It heals you, too.

/by

Covered with Kindness

,

“Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.”

1 Peter 4:8

The moment I hit the ground, I knew everyone saw it.

One second, I was running across my elementary schoolyard, the next, my foot slipped, and I crashed into a deep puddle of mud. My clothes were ruined, my hair matted with dirt. The last thing I wanted was to stand up and face the stares.

I felt humiliated.

To get cleaned up, I would have no choice but to walk through the school like this. The thought of it made my face burn.

That is when my friend, without missing a beat, took off her jacket and wrapped it around me. She did not make a big deal out of it or make me feel awkward.

She did not try to fix my mess. She just wanted to help.

And somehow, that changed everything.

The shame did not feel as heavy. The walk did not feel as long. What should have been one of my most embarrassing moments turned into a memory of kindness I have never forgotten.

Her simple act of kindness meant so much, because instead of focusing on the mess I was in, I was able to focus on her support. She gave me the confidence to walk to the office without feeling humiliated, and I’ll always remember how she stepped in without a second thought.

Now, I wonder—What if we did the same? What if, instead of looking away, we leaned in?

People around us are walking through life feeling exposed—not with muddy clothes, but with regrets, shame, and insecurity. They feel exposed and wish someone would step in and offer them dignity instead of judgment.

What if your kindness was the reason someone lifted their head instead of hanging it in shame? Like Jesus, we can meet people in their lowest moments and cover them with grace and love. You may never know. It might just be the very thing that reminds them they are never to broken, too messy, or too far gone.

/by

Discover Strength Through Prayer

,

“Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.”

Colossians 4:2

There was a quiet spot in the kitchen, just by the little fireplace. That was Mom’s place.

Every morning, before the day had a chance to pull her in every direction, she would sit there with her hands wrapped around a cup of coffee, her Bible in her lap. I can still see her, head bowed, whispering prayers that felt strong enough to hold up the walls of our home.

She never rushed and never let the weight of the day steal that time away. No matter what the day held—bills, doctor’s appointments, hard phone calls—she returned to that little corner like it was an anchor. And somehow, no matter what storm was brewing, she always found peace there.

I did not understand it then, not really.

But I do now.

I know what it is to wrestle with God in the quiet—whispering desperate prayers for a husband I had not yet met, for children I did not know if I would ever hold, for friendships that broke my heart, for parents I had to say goodbye to too soon.

And in every season, whether I was waiting or weeping, questioning or rejoicing, I found what she found.

There is a place in prayer that holds you steady when you don’t know what else to do. It is a place where the presence of God wraps around you like breath of fresh air. The answers do not always come right away. The pain does not vanish overnight. But in that space, you are not alone.

Maybe today, you need a place like that too. It does not have to be fancy. Just quiet enough to take a breath, to whisper Jesus’ name, and to lay it all at His feet. Because that is where real strength is found. And it has been waiting for you all along.

/by

A Life that Shines

, ,

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

Matthew 5:16

Rick never sought the spotlight, but his life shone brightly. His was kind and steady. He listened and cared. To those who knew him, it was clear—his love for God was real.

His friends had always admired that about him. He was made to care for people. That was just who he was.

But just two weeks after graduating from nursing school, Rick’s journey ended. A sudden heart attack took him from this world, leaving everyone in shock. But as they gathered in a packed funeral, they realized his story was not over.

One by one, people shared how Rick had made a difference in their lives. As they spoke, the common thread was undeniable. Rick’s faith had shaped his entire life, and in doing so, it had spread like wildfire, igniting others along the way.

Then, something unexpected happened.

As the pastor finished speaking, fifteen people stood. One by one, they made their way to the front. They hadn’t come just to grieve. They came to surrender their lives to the same God Rick had loved.

His friends sat in stunned silence. They had never seen anything like it. But in that moment, they understood—our lives preach a sermon, whether we realize it or not.

Rick didn’t know this moment would come. He was just faithful. And because of that, fifteen people will spend eternity with the same God he loved.

So today, when you wonder if your kindness, your faith, or your small acts of love even matter—remember Rick. Someone is watching. Someone is listening. And one day, friend, you may find out that the way you lived led someone else straight to Jesus.

Because a life lived for Christ never stops making an impact.

/by