Daughter, I See You

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Ephesians 3:18-19 — And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

Here’s a message from the Father’s heart to that busy girl.

“She thinks I don’t see her. The busy one, the strong one, and the one who smiles at meetings, answers every email, but cries in the car with the music turned up. She thinks her loneliness is invisible, but it echoes in my heart.

I saw her that morning she couldn’t get out of bed. I was with her that night when she wondered if anyone would notice if she disappeared, and I heard her when she finally whispered, ‘God, do you see me?’

Yes, daughter, I see you.  

I have engraved you on the palms of my hands. You are not just noticed. You are known, cherished, held, and loved even in silence.

Even in loneliness, I am near. I am not just God of the whole world. I am the God who sees you. Even when your strength runs out where no one else can see, my love does not shrink back. It stretches wider, longer, deeper, and higher than your thoughts can reach. You are not unseen. You are fully known and fully loved right here, in this moment.

So, when you feel hidden in your exhaustion or alone in the quiet, remember this: I am closer than you think, and My love has never left you.

My prayer for you this Father’s Day is that you would truly experience what Paul prayed for in Ephesians—that you would have the power to understand how wide, how long, how high, and how deep Christ’s love really is.

Not just know it in your head.

Experience it in your heart.

Because God’s love was never meant to be merely understood.

It was meant to be received.

Because when you begin to grasp even a small part of God’s love for you, everything changes.

May you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love really is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • Have there been moments when you felt unseen or overlooked by others?
  • Which part of God’s love—its width, length, height, or depth—do you most need to experience right now?
  • What keeps you from fully believing that God sees and loves you?
  • How does knowing you are fully known by God change the way you view yourself?
  • What is one way you can intentionally rest in God’s love this week?
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Forgiveness Finds A Way

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Matthew 18:21-22 — Then Peter came to Him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?” “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!”

Have you been carrying around bitterness and anger because of a falling out with someone… maybe someone in your own family?

Maybe you will relate to Michael’s story.

He hadn’t spoken to his dad for a very, very long time. A painful falling out drew a line neither of them crossed for nearly a decade. I mean, they missed holidays, birthdays, milestones—all of it. And the silence… it became normal. But even when silence feels normal, the hurt never really leaves.

One Sunday, after hearing a sermon on forgiveness, Michael sat in his car a little longer than usual. The engine was off, but his thoughts weren’t. And he prayed, “God, I don’t know how to forgive my dad. I don’t know how to do it, but I know You’ll help me. I’ll try with Your strength.”

It wasn’t polished. It wasn’t confident. But it was a step.

And then—his dad called.

There was no warning. No buildup. Just, “I don’t know why, but I felt like I had to call.”

So, they met for coffee. And what began as a tense conversation, started to shift. The edges softened. Voices cracked. Tears came. Apologies followed. Hugs were shared, and forgiveness was given. And slowly, they began rebuilding what had been broken, one small step at a time.

Michael says, “Only God could have softened these two hardened hearts and turned years of silence into a fresh start.”

And I believe him.

Because somewhere in that moment, one willing heart made room for more than just a single act of forgiveness.

When one heart turns toward God, He can begin healing wounds that once felt impossible to touch.

So, I wonder… is there someone in your life who has hurt you? Maybe more than once.

It would be easy to let bitterness settle in and let silence become your normal. But Jesus invites us to a different way.

Seven times seventy, right?

Not because the hurt wasn’t real. Not because trust is automatically restored. But because forgiveness frees your heart from carrying what God never intended you to carry alone.

Maybe today isn’t about having all the right words.

Maybe it’s simply praying the same prayer Michael prayed:

“Lord, I don’t know how to forgive, but with Your help, I’m willing to take the first step.”

And sometimes that’s where healing begins.

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • Is there someone you have struggled to forgive?
  • What emotions surface when you think about extending forgiveness to that person?
  • How does Michael’s simple prayer challenge or encourage you?
  • What is the difference between forgiving someone and pretending they didn’t hurt you?
  • What would taking one small step toward forgiveness look like for you today?

CLICK TO WATCH VIDEO on YouTube

SEVEN TIMES SEVENTY TIMES by Chris August

I’ve been living in this house here
Since the day that I was born
These walls have seen me happy
But most of all they’ve seen me torn
They’ve heard the screaming matches
That made a family fall apart
They’ve had a front row seat
To the breaking of my heart

7 times, 70 times
I’ll do what it takes to make it right
I thought the pain was here to stay
But forgiveness made a way
7 times, 70 times
There’s healing in the air tonight
I’m reaching up to pull it down
Gonna wrap it all around

I remember running down the hallway
Playing hide-and-seek
I didn’t know that I was searching
For someone to notice me
I felt alone and undiscovered
And old enough to understand
Just when I’m s’posed to be learning to love you
Let me doubt again

7 times, 70 times
I’ll do what it takes to make it right
I thought the pain was here to stay
But forgiveness made a way
7 times, 70 times
There’s healing in the air tonight
I’m reaching up to pull it down
Gonna wrap it all around

I lost count of the ways You let me down
But no matter how many times You weren’t around
I’m all right now

God picked up my heart and helped me through
And shined a light on the one thing left to do
And that’s forgive you, I forgive you

7 times, 70 times
If that’s the cost I’ll pay the price
7 times, 70 times
I’ll do what it takes to make it right
I thought the pain was here to stay
But forgiveness made a way

7 times, 70 times
There’s healing in this house tonight
I’m reaching up to pull it down
Gonna wrap it all around
Yeah, I’m gonna wrap it all around

I’ve been living in this house here
Since the day that I was born

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Not Too Late Now

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Ecclesiastes 3:11 – Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.

Addiction is never easy. It’s not easy for the person struggling. It’s not easy for the family. It’s not easy for the friends who love them.

It’s painful for everyone.

But God.

Here’s a story about a father overcoming addiction. It’s set on the day of his son’s birthday.

“I almost didn’t send the card.

It felt too small. After everything I’d missed—his birthdays, his games, so much of his life—what could one little birthday card possibly do?

’90 days sober.’

That’s what I wrote inside.

‘And happy birthday. I’m proud of you, son.’

Because I am. I am proud of him.

Even if I haven’t been there like I should have. Even if I don’t know whether he’ll believe a word I say.

But recovery has taught me something. It’s never too late to tell the truth. It’s never too late to take a step toward healing. And it’s never too late for grace.

Even when addiction and regret have created distance, God’s grace still makes room for new beginnings.

So I prayed over that envelope.

I asked God to do what I can’t.

I asked Him to bridge the distance between my son’s heart and mine. To take what feels broken and unfinished and begin making something beautiful from it.

I don’t know if he’ll write back.

I don’t even know if he’ll open it.

But I sent it because healing has to start somewhere.”

I love that.

Because sometimes healing starts smaller than we’d like.

It’s one honest conversation. One apology. One phone call. One card dropped in the mail.

One faithful step.

And often, we can’t see what God is doing with those small acts of obedience. We can’t see the whole story from beginning to end.

But He can.

That’s why we keep trusting Him with the pieces.

Maybe today you’re carrying something that feels broken, distant, or beyond repair.

Take the next faithful step.

Offer the apology. Send the message. Have the conversation.

And trust God with what happens next.

Because He has a way of making beautiful things from places that once seemed hopeless.

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • Is there a relationship in your life that needs a first step toward healing?
  • What small act of obedience might God be asking you to take today?
  • Where have you been tempted to give up because you can’t see the outcome?
  • How does it encourage you to know that God sees the whole story, even when you can only see a small part of it?
  • What would it look like to trust God with the next step instead of the entire journey?
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Lifted Up With Love

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Psalm 40:2 — He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.

Three teenagers were riding bikes when they heard faint cries coming from a storm drain below them. Most people would have just kept on going, but not these guys. They stopped, they listened closer, and they discovered a scared little puppy trapped below.

My heart would have been breaking watching that.

Well, these teen boys worked together using their hands, a stick, and a lot of patience to get that little pup to safety. And when they finally pulled him out, the animal just looked at their faces in pure joy.

That moment when fear turns into relief… even the smallest things feel beautiful.

And I can’t shake what that picture does in me. We don’t get rescued because we’re strong. We get rescued because Someone stronger stops, hears, and reaches down.That’s what Psalm 40 is describing—God drawing us up, not leaving us where we fell.

SAnd maybe you’ve felt that too—stuck in a place you didn’t plan for, wondering if anyone even sees you there.… stuck in life’s storm drains, buried under the weight of stress and anxiety and everything closing in. It’s the kind of place where it’s dark, where it feels like nobody notices, and where your voice sounds small even to yourself.

But what gets me most is this. Those boys didn’t just hear something and move on. They leaned in. They got low. They stayed, and little by little, they pulled that puppy up out of the muddy pit into something solid again.

Even when we feel trapped or overlooked in life’s darkest places, God sees, hears, and gently rescues us with compassion and faithful care.

That’s who He is. He doesn’t pass by. He hears what others miss, and He steps into the miry mess with a patience that doesn’t give up.

And I don’t know what you’re sitting in right now, but maybe there’s something here for you too… a quiet reminder that you are seen, heard, and not forgotten in the pit—and that God still knows how to bring people out of places they can’t climb out of themselves.

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • Have you ever felt “stuck” in a season where you didn’t know how to get out?
  • What does it mean to you that God doesn’t just notice your struggle but draws you out of it?
  • Who has God used in your life to “reach down” and help you in a hard season?
  • How does Psalm 40:2 change the way you see your current circumstances?
  • Where might God be trying to set your feet back on solid ground today?
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Rest for the Ringmaster

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Matthew 11:30 — For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.

I can just imagine if Martha in the Bible was working from home. She’d be juggling Zoom calls and laundry and snacks for the kids and a burnt pot of spaghetti, while muttering, “Did anyone else see that email? Jesus help me. Why are my co-workers not doing anything?”

But you know, when Martha went to Jesus about Mary, he didn’t roll his eyes at her. He didn’t shame her for caring too much or trying to hold everything together. He just reminded her of this…

You can still care deeply, but you can also take a breath. Sit at my feet and keep your eyes on me, because you don’t have to carry it all.

So, if you’re feeling like you’re the ringmaster juggling a circus, just pause. Have a seat. Leave it at the feet of Jesus. Pray. Ask Him for help. Simply say, “Lord, I am here. I’m taking a pause and being still. Help me, Jesus.”

And maybe the chaos won’t disappear immediately, but something inside you can finally loosen its grip because you were never meant to carry all of this alone. Remember, God is not demanding perfection from you.

He just wants you to notice that He is there in the middle of all of it with you—steady and unhurried, ready to carry what you were never meant to. His way of carrying life is lighter than the exhausting striving we so often choose.

So today, even if it’s just for a minute between the noise and the next thing calling your name, there’s an open place at His feet where you can rest. Go to Him, and let Him be strong for you.

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • What burdens have you been trying to carry entirely on your own?
  • In what areas of your life do you relate most to Martha right now?
  • What would it look like for you to pause and sit at Jesus’ feet this week?
  • Are you carrying responsibilities with Jesus—or just carrying them alone while hoping He helps?
  • How does remembering that Jesus’ burden is light change the way you approach stress and pressure?
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Honey for the Heart

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Proverbs 16:24 — Kind words are like honey—sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.

I almost didn’t say anything. She looked polished. She looked confident, like the kind of woman who didn’t need anything from anyone, especially not from me.

But all week long, her name kept coming to mind—in the grocery store, during my quiet time, while folding laundry. When a name won’t leave you alone, it’s often not random—it’s an invitation to respond.

So when I saw her slipping out of church alone, I felt that quiet nudge saying, “Tell her.”

So I did.

I said to her, “I’ve been praying for you. God brought you to mind this week, and I just wanted you to know that you’re not forgotten.”

She smiled politely. She said, “Thank you,” and that was it. But as I watched her walk away, I saw something shift, like her shoulders softened a little—like someone had finally looked past the perfect hair and the smart heels and saw her.

Like a kind word had landed deeper than it sounded, settling in like sweetness where something had once been sour. The right words, offered at the right time, can taste like honey. They reach places we’ll never fully see, bringing comfort, healing, and hope to weary hearts.

That’s why we’re called to encourage each other and carry each other’s burdens. We never know what a small obedience will do, but sometimes the smallest words can speak the loudest love. A simple, obedient act of encouragement can lighten someone’s unseen burdens and quietly reflect Christ’s love.

So when that name comes to mind again, don’t ignore it. Lean into the nudge. Your small act of encouragement may become the very thing God uses to bring healing to someone who desperately needs it.

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • Has God ever placed someone on your heart unexpectedly?
  • When was the last time someone’s kind words deeply encouraged you?
  • Are there people around you who may look “fine” on the outside but still need encouragement?
  • What keeps you from speaking encouraging words sometimes?
  • Who could you intentionally encourage today with a text, prayer, or conversation?
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Rainy Days to Redemption

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Psalm 86:12-13 — With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God. I will give glory to your name forever, for your love for me is very great. You have rescued me from the depths of death.

Seventeen years ago is when I hit rock bottom. I was addicted to drugs and far from Jesus. Those were my rainy days. And you know, rainy days… they have a way of doing something to you. They strip you down. They show you what’s real.

I was a crazy party girl. And somehow, that’s the very place where everything started changing. Not all at once—but enough for God to get my attention.

I heard someone say once that the valley of weeping is what we must pass through on our way to God. And oh boy… I lived there for a while. Long enough to know what it feels like when the tears don’t fix anything. Long enough to know what it feels like to be completely empty.

But when I look back now, I can see it—God was pursuing me the whole time.

People ask me if I would change anything. And it sounds crazy, but no… I wouldn’t. Because it was there—in that lowest place—that everything changed.

When I almost died from an accidental overdose, I was in a coma. The doctors said I wasn’t going to make it. I opened my eyes just long enough to see my brother saying goodbye to me.

But Jesus had other plans. And in that moment—somewhere between life and death—He came to me.

Clear, personal, and close.

He asked me, “Are you done?”

I knew exactly what He meant.

I said, “Oh yes. I am.” Because I was. Done running, done numbing, and surviving the very life that was killing me.

And I woke up. Not just physically. Something deeper than that. Something I can’t fully explain, but I know it when I see it now.

Ever since then, my life has been different. Not perfect, but different. There’s a gratitude in me now that I didn’t have before. There’s a kind of love in me now that runs deeper than emotion—like my whole life finally has direction.

And when I think about it, it’s like my heart learned how to thank God from the inside out because I was rescued from a place I couldn’t escape on my own.

And He can do that for you too.

Maybe things in your life aren’t as extreme as mine were… or maybe they are. Maybe something in you feels like it’s flatlining. But here’s what I know.

There is no place too far gone for Jesus to step in, no life too broken for Him to restore when you finally surrender it to Him. So, if there’s anything you’ve been trying to manage, numb, or outrun… you don’t have to carry it anymore.

Sometimes the simplest surrender looks like “I’m done.”

And right there—in that surrendered place—He meets you.

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • Have you ever experienced a season where you felt completely empty or far from God?
  • What are some things people commonly try to “numb” or outrun instead of surrendering to God?
  • How does Brenda’s story reflect God’s rescuing love in Psalm 86:12-13?
  • Is there an area of your life where you need to stop striving and simply say, “I’m done”?
  • What would wholehearted gratitude toward God look like in your life today?
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Purpose in the Pain

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Matthew 5:4 — God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Grief doesn’t knock. It breaks the door down and rearranges everything inside. There really aren’t words for it. When you lose someone you love, it’s like everything reminds you of them.

I read about a mother who lost her son in a tragic car accident. The loss left her numb, angry, and searching for God in the silence.

Even though people tried to help, there were no easy answers—just a deep, unrelenting void. But through her grief, something sacred began to take shape inside of her.

She noticed how many other parents were grieving in isolation, unsure where to turn or even how to begin healing after the loss of a child.

So she did something courageous. She opened a small grief counseling center, specifically for parents who have lost their children. She doesn’t try to offer quick fixes or easy theology. Instead, she offers understanding, a space to mourn, a space to simply… be.

“I still feel the pain,” she says, “but now it has a purpose. I get to walk with others in their grief.”

Blessed are those who mourn, scripture says. That’s not because mourning is good, but because God meets you there. And over time, He can begin to shape those broken places into a shelter for someone else. God truly can create beauty from the ashes.

Maybe you are walking through grief this Mother’s Day week too. I get it. It’s hard, but I want you to know that God will never waste your sorrow.

Nope. He is better than that.

Lean into Him. Trust that He is holding you, even here. And when you’re ready, let Him begin to bring comfort—not just to you, but through you.

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • What does grief look like in your life right now—loss, disappointment, or something else?
  • Have you experienced God’s comfort in a difficult season before? What did that look like?
  • Are you allowing yourself space to truly mourn, or trying to move past it too quickly?
  • Who around you might need the kind of understanding and presence you’ve received from others?
  • What would it look like today to simply let God meet you in your grief?
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The Fire That Forms You

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1 Peter 1:6-7 — So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

Everyone wants growth. It’s universal. It’s a desire planted deep within every human heart.

The desire to move forward—to grow in what matters—is strong within you. You don’t want to waste time. You yearn to use every gift God has given you and long to lay down more of yourself and take on more of Jesus.

But also—remember—worthwhile progress requires humble surrender. Growth isn’t neat. It isn’t quick. It’s the slow decision to stay when everything in you wants to run.

Growth often comes from learning to stay when things feel uncomfortable.

You want a faith that’s tested by fire—like gold. Not to destroy it, but to prove and refine it. That is what reveals what is real and what only looked real before things got hard.

For a little while, there is grief in all kinds of trial, but what comes out on the other side is something so much better. Something that lasts.

The more mature your faith becomes, the more you start to see it. Escaping the circumstance was never the answer. Quick exits don’t form deep roots. Staying does.

Standing firm does.

More of Jesus—that’s the goal. And that kind of transformation doesn’t happen in comfort zones. It happens when pride loosens its grip, when control is handed over, and when you trust that God knows exactly what He’s doing—even when you don’t understand the process. You weren’t meant to be undone by the fire—you’re being formed through it.

So, keep going.

Not by striving harder, but by surrendering deeper.

Not by chasing comfort, but by trusting refinement.

Let the pressure shape you instead of scare you. LLet the fire do what God will use it to do. So, stay steady, stay surrendered, and stay rooted in Him.

Because you are not being burned up.

You are being made new.

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • When you think about growth, do you tend to expect progress through ease or through challenge?
  • How have past trials shaped your faith in ways comfort never could?
  • Is there a situation right now where you’re tempted to “exit” instead of stay and trust God?
  • What might God be refining in you through your current circumstances?
  • What would it look like today to surrender deeper instead of striving harder?
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The “Brrr” Before the Breakthrough

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Isaiah 41:10 — Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

This Spring, are you doing pickleball or water aerobics?

I’m doing water aerobics, and I love it. It is so good and so much fun.

One of the ladies in my class encouraged me to start swimming laps in the Olympic-size pool we have at the gym. But she warned me ahead of time.

“It’s cold when you first get in.”

She was not kidding.

My goodness—that first step into the water was a shock. I almost turned around right there. Then I looked up and saw how long that pool was, and I thought, “Oh I don’t know if I can do this.”

But step by step, I slowly went in.

It was cold, but before I knew it, I was cruising along. Oh my goodness—I’m actually doing this. I finished the laps. I felt strong. I felt accomplished.

I really did.

And honestly, I think following God can feel a lot like that first step into the pool. Sometimes what He calls us to do feels intimidating. It can feel cold. It can seem longer than we expected when we’re standing at the edge.

Most of the things God grows in us begin with a step that feels uncomfortable.

But when we take that first step and trust Him, something surprising happens. He meets us there. He says, “Do not be afraid or discouraged.” He steadies our hearts, stays right beside us, and strengthens us—just like He promises. Strength for every lap.

He never promises it will be easy. No, no.

But He does promise He will be right there with us the whole way.

And maybe today there’s something in front of you that feels like that cold pool a little—something that makes you hesitate. It looks harder and longer than you expected.

Remember that sometimes it just takes easing one foot into the water.

And then the next.

And when you do, eventually you’ll discover you’re not swimming alone.

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • What is something in your life right now that feels intimidating or uncomfortable—like that first step into cold water?
  • What fears or doubts tend to hold you back from taking that first step?
  • Can you remember a time when God met you after you stepped out in faith? What did that teach you?
  • What would it look like to trust God for “the next step” instead of the whole journey?
  • How does knowing God is with you and strengthening you change the way you face what’s ahead?
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