The Connection Corner

The Gift of Being Different

Deuteronomy 14:2 — “You have been set apart as holy to the Lord your God, and he has chosen you from all the nations of the earth to be his own special treasure.”

Growing up, I always knew I was different.

From family to classmates at school, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I just didn’t fit in. It felt like everyone else had some critical ingredient I was missing. Kids my age raised their hands, answered questions, laughed out loud like they belonged there.

For the longest time, I thought something was wrong with me. I was timid, more introverted, and often wondered if anyone even noticed me. That feeling of invisibility started to shape how I saw myself. I developed low self-esteem and bent over backward trying to please people.

But one day, one of those classmates invited me to go to church with her. I didn’t have a good reason to say no, so I went, nervous and unsure. That’s where I first heard about Jesus—how He came for people like me. The misfits, the quiet ones, and the ones who don’t know where they belong.

He came for me, and He loved me enough to give His life for me.

That felt like sunlight cracking through a storm cloud. For the first time, I felt truly seen and known.

But I wish I could say the insecurities vanished overnight. They didn’t. I carried them into high school, college, and early adulthood.

Then one Sunday, a pastor said something that caught me off guard. He said, “You are different.” My heart sank, but he went on: “God made you that way—on purpose, for a purpose.”

I sat up straighter. For the first time, I thought: maybe I wasn’t defective after all. Maybe I was designed by a loving God who had a plan for my life—and maybe my differences were actually gifts.

Later, I found it in Scripture—Deuteronomy 14:2. God sets us apart, chooses us, and calls us His special treasure. That’s not just poetic. That’s personal.

That’s when I started to see it and embrace it. I was handpicked by God, different, and made with a purpose only I could fulfill.

And maybe you need that reminder, too. Maybe you’ve spent too long thinking your differences disqualify you. But the truth is: God doesn’t make mistakes. He made you different on purpose, for a purpose—so you could bring something only you can bring to His family.

Don’t let the world’s lies define you. Let Jesus reintroduce you to the you He made—a masterpiece, a treasure. The real, set-apart you.

June 30, 2025/by Sarah Hall

Prayer that Changes Everything

Daily Devotional, Heart of the Artist, Stories About Songs

James 5:16 — “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”

I had to put my phone down. Not out of discipline or digital detox—I just couldn’t stomach what I was seeing anymore.

I was sitting backstage between shows on the Hits Deep tour with TobyMac, but then I read about the horrific school shooting in Nashville at The Covenant School. Three children. Three adults. A place that should’ve been safe. My chest felt heavy, the kind of weight that steals your breath without asking.

The headlines alone were gutting, but it was the comment section that knocked the wind out of me.

“Thoughts and prayers,” someone had written, emojis dripping sarcasm.

“Oh great, that’ll fix everything.” said another.

My chest tightened. Did people really think prayer was useless?

I thought of my mama. I had caught her more times than I could count bent at the edge of her bed whispering prayers. I knew those prayers had carried me through every heartache and sleepless night, and, without her, I would not even know Jesus.

Grief and gratitude tangled inside me. The tragedy was real, the loss unimaginable. But those memories of Mama’s prayers were a good reminder. If God had moved mountains before, He would do it again.

Backstage before the next show, I closed my eyes and prayed—hard—for the grieving families, for the kids who’d never come home, for a cynical world that had forgotten how to hope.

And that’s when the song started to form in my mind. I carried it with me all the next day, humming it under my breath. That night, I picked up my guitar and wrote the song Somebody Prayed.

Friend, if you know Jesus, it’s because somebody prayed for you. Maybe it was your grandma on a creaky porch swing or a friend on their knees. Don’t underestimate what those prayers can do.

Let’s be the ones who hold up the hurting in a world that’s lost its way. Let’s believe—together—that prayer isn’t a cliché or a last resort. It’s the one thing that can change the world, one desperate, hope-filled cry at a time.

— David Crowder

LYRICS:
Somebody Prayed
Every night there by your bed
You fold your hands and bow your head
Throwing out another prayer in faith
When you wonder if He’s hearing you
Look at me I’m living proof
I’m only right where I am today
Because somebody prayed

So I hit my knees
Cause I’ve seen all heaven move
(Don’t matter if you hit rock bottom,
My God pick you up when you call Him)
I pray, Father please
Cause I’ve seen what He can do
(Don’t matter if the storm cloud coming,
My God come through when you call Him)
These hands have no power
But there ain’t an hour He don’t come through
That’s why when mountains move I say
Looks like somebody prayed

For the child of God that’s far from home
The one who thinks they’re too far gone
I’m throwing out another prayer in faith
Worn out altars, tear stained pews
Still I won’t give up on you
I believe that anything can change
When somebody prays

I’ve seen miracles come from feeble words
I’ve seen hospital rooms turned into cathedrals
And I’ve seen freedom come to the prisoner
You can’t tell me that prayer don’t work

Every night there by your bed
When you fold your hands and bow your head
Not a single word you’ve ever said in vain
Cause He hears everything

June 29, 2025/by David Hall

Finding Light After the Longest Night

Daily Devotional, Sarah Hall

Psalm 30:5b – “Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.”

Summertime always takes me back to childhood camping trips with my family.

Every Friday, we eagerly packed up for our weekend adventure. Before we upgraded to a travel trailer, our family of five would squeeze into a large tent, excited for nights under the stars.

I vividly remember one trip when a storm came in the middle of the night. As a young girl, I was terrified. Rain pelted the tent as thunder cracked like a whip, echoing through the forest. The thin canvas walls felt utterly useless against the raw power of the winds.

Certain we would not survive, I woke my mom. Her voice, steady and calm, cut through the chaos. She assured me she would not let anything happen to my siblings or me. We were safe.

Her words soothed my anxious mind enough to let me drift back to sleep. I woke the next morning to sunlight streaming through the trees and to peace knowing we made it.

Life’s tempests can feel no less daunting as an adult. Disappointments crash into our world and heartaches pound us like a hurricane. We feel exposed, defenseless. In those moments of crippling fear, it is easy to forget we are not alone.

But just as I wholeheartedly trusted my mom in the storm, we can trust God to cover us and keep us safe. His strength steadies us when our own fails.

Here is the unexpected truth: the fiercest storms only last a night. Just like that childhood tent, our faith may feel flimsy, but when we hold on, we find unseen strength and peace.

The storms may be inevitable, but they do not have to define us. Because God is with us, we can weather them. So hold on to this truth – our hope, like the sunrise, is always just a morning away.

June 28, 2025/by Sarah Hall