The Connection Corner

Running Into Grace

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

Salina never stayed in one place too long—jobs, relationships, even cities. Her calendar was full of concerts, road trips, and late nights that blurred. She liked it that way. No one depended on her, and she depended on no one.

Until one spring afternoon, something felt… off.

She was halfway through a run, earbuds in, thoughts drifting, when a wave of nausea stopped her mid-stride. She doubled over on the side of the trail. Her heart was pounding for a different reason now.

Later that evening, she waited, then took a test.

Two red lines. She was pregnant.

She stared at the ceiling long after midnight, the weight of the future pressing down like never before. What kind of future am I building for this child? Is there more to life than this? What do I really believe?

The questions scared her, but they also stirred something inside that refused to settle.

So, she walked into a church she had passed a hundred times before. She slipped into the back row. The songs were unfamiliar. The people were strangers, but something about it made her stay.

Weeks passed. Then one Sunday, someone shared the story of Jesus with such simple clarity, it disarmed her. She heard about His love that covered everything—regret, restlessness, rebellion.

When the invitation at the end of service came to receive Christ, she said yes. She let Him in.

Now, two years later, her daughter toddles barefoot through her grandmother’s kitchen while Salina laces up her running shoes again.

Midway through the run, she stops. Not because she is sick again—but because it is Mother’s Day. And she remembers.

God had met her on that sidewalk when she least expected it. He saved her not just from her past, but for her future.

Perhaps that is what you need to hear today—that the same God is still present, still near, and still ready to meet you exactly where you are.

All you have to do is stop, ask, and let Him in.

May 11, 2025/by Linda Meyers

Beauty from the Ashes

Bri Dunn, Daily Devotional

Isaiah 61:3a — “He will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair.”

Lately, I have been catching myself holding Lennox just a little longer before putting him down.

His little chest rises and falls against mine, warm and steady, and I think about how this is my first Mother’s Day as a mom. I should be thrilled, and part of me is.

But the truth? It is complicated.

Because Mother’s Day has been hard for years. My own mom isn’t here anymore. And not a year goes by that I don’t wish I could call her, hear her laugh, or ask her how she handled all the mom-things I am just now beginning to understand.

But this year… there’s something new to celebrate

There’s Lennox.

There’s a sweetness to waking up in the night and knowing I get to be his safe place. And there’s my stepdaughter. We have had our rough patches—God knows blending families is not an easy road—but lately, there has been this trust growing between us. It is not perfect, but it is good.

And that is what I am holding on to.

I could stay in the sadness. I could make room only for what’s missing.

But I won’t.

Because I believe God can do something with all of it. The joy. The sting in my heart. The parts I wish were different. He does not waste a single piece.

You see, grief and joy can live side by side, and your pain is not pointless because the Lord can turn broken things and make them beautiful, even now.

So, if you are standing in the middle ground like me—with joy in one hand and sorrow in the other—just know you are not alone. God is still in it. He is still restoring, still healing, and still showing you the beauty you didn’t know was possible.

And this year? I am choosing to see it.

May 10, 2025/by Bri Dunn

Made for Growth

Daily Devotional, Sarah Hall

2 Peter 3:18 “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.”

I did not plan on getting emotional—it just happened. I was scrolling through my phone for a recipe and stumbled across a photo from the day we brought our daughter home from the hospital.

I sat on the edge of the bed and just stared at it. I could almost smell that sweet newborn scent again, feel the warmth of her against my chest. She was so small. I remember being scared to hold her too tightly, afraid I might do something wrong. I had no idea what I was doing, but somehow, I knew I had never loved anything more.

That picture could have been taken yesterday—and yet, here we are.

She’s walking now. Babbling. Exploring every corner of the living room with that determined little look in her eyes. One week she is clumsily gripping her bottle, and the next, she is waving at strangers in the grocery store.

It is breathtaking about watching someone grow right in front of you. The days feel long while you are in them—but looking back, it’s all a blink.

And then it hit me: if she is changing that quickly, maybe I am too.

It is easy to miss your own growth. I catch myself measuring life by where I think I should be while forgetting how far I have already come. We tend to believe that if we don’t feel progress, it must not be happening. But just because we cannot see something growing does not mean it isn’t.

God is still working in me. Even on quiet days. Even when I feel stuck. He is molding me into the person He has always intended me to be.

Growth is not a sprint from one milestone to the next. It is made of little choices. It is thos4 small, quiet turns of the heart toward trust. And just like Reese is becoming more of who she is meant to be every day… so are you and me.

You are not who you were six months ago. Or last year. You are not finished, either, or the work God is doing in you—right now—is not wasted. Every moment of growth matters, even when you do not feel it yet.

May 9, 2025/by Sarah Hall