The Connection Corner

Love Always Finds a Way

Daily Devotional, Lauren Kitchens-Steward

1 John 4:16 – So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

My mom hated flying.

She would grip the armrest during takeoff and talk too loudly over the roar of the engine. She prayed from the moment the plane took off until the wheels were safely turning into the gate.

At the time, I lived across the U.S. from her, and she came to see me often. I can still see her walking down the hallway of my home, suitcase wheels bumping behind her. Her perfume arriving a few seconds before she did. She would give me a big hug and ask what we were doing for supper.

That was the thing about her. She never made a big deal out of it. For years, she just came to see me. Now, her visits live in my memory like golden light. They were acts of love wrapped in plane tickets, missed sleep, and nerves she never let keep her away.

She came anyway.

That simple truth is what undoes me. The fact that she loved me enough to push past her fear.

And that is what helps me begin to understand God’s love.

Because He comes, too. Even when we are messy. Even when we don’t appreciate it. He still shows up. It is not because it is easy, but because we are His kids.

Maybe today is a good day to look at your life and ask: where is God showing up, even when I am not looking for Him?

His love is steady. Relentless. Brave. I don’t ever want to miss that again.

May 5, 2025/by Lauren Kitchens-Steward

The Love That Defines Me

Daily Devotional, Heart of the Artist, Stories About Songs

Psalms 8:3-4 – “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?”

Mark Hall had spent years trying to keep up.

He wasn’t the smartest kid growing up—dyslexia made sure of that. Reading was hard, school was harder, and no matter how much he tried, he always felt a little behind. So, he learned to compensate. Work harder. Push more. Don’t let anyone see the struggle.

By the time he became a youth pastor, that mindset hadn’t changed. He poured everything he had into ministry, convinced that if he just gave enough, maybe he’d finally stop feeling like he was falling short.

But one night, long after the last teenager had left youth group, he sat alone with his guitar.

Not to write a song. Not to impress anyone. Just to breathe.

And as his fingers found familiar chords, the words came.

“Who am I, that the Lord of all the earth would care to know my name?”

He stopped.

That lyric was his question. The one that had been chasing him since childhood. The one he had been too busy to face.

Who was he, really? Just some guy trying too hard? A pastor with good intentions but a heart that still wondered if God was really as steady as He claimed to be?

And then, the answer settled over him.

It was never about who he was. It was always about who God is.

For the first time in years, Mark let go of the pressure to be “enough.” He let himself believe that God was not waiting on him to measure up, and He had loved him long before he had anything to offer.

That song—Who Am I?—would go on to remind millions of people of the same truth. But for Mark, it started in that quiet room, on an ordinary Wednesday night, when he finally stopped striving.

And maybe that is a moment you need too.

Maybe you have spent years chasing approval, measuring your worth by what you do instead of resting in what has already done.

But here is the truth: You don’t have to fight for a love that was never based on your performance in the first place.

God’s grace has never been about your ability to hold on to Him. It has always been about His ability to hold on to you.

Lyrics:

Who am I, that the lord of all the earth
Would care to know my name
Would care to feel my hurt?
Who am I, that the bright and morning star
Would choose to light the way
For my ever wandering heart?

Not because of who I am
But because of what you’ve done
Not because of what I’ve done
But because of who you are

I am a flower quickly fading
Here today and gone tomorrow
A wave tossed in the ocean
A vapor in the wind
Still you hear me when I’m calling
Lord, you catch me when I’m falling
And you’ve told me who I am
I am yours

Who am I, that the eyes that see my sin
Would look on me with love
And watch me rise again?
Who am I, that the voice that calmed the sea
Would call out through the rain
And calm the storm in me?

Not because of who I am
But because of what you’ve done
Not because of what I’ve done
But because of who you are

I am a flower quickly fading
Here today and gone tomorrow
A wave tossed in the ocean
A vapor in the wind
Still you hear me when I’m calling
Lord, you catch me when I’m falling
And you’ve told me who I am
I am yours

Not because of who I am
But because of what you’ve done
Not because of what I’ve done
But because of who you are

I am a flower quickly fading
Here today and gone tomorrow
A wave tossed in the ocean
A vapor in the wind
Still you hear me when I’m calling
Lord, you catch me when I’m falling
And you’ve told me who I am
I am yours
I am yours
I am yours

Whom shall I fear, whom shall I fear?
‘Cause I am yours
I am yours

“Who Am I”
(Mark Hall)
© 2003 Be Essential Songs (BMI) (admin. at EssentialMusicPublishing.com) / My Refuge Music (BMI) (admin. at CapitolCMGPublishing.com)

May 4, 2025/by David Hall

Delay is Not Denial

Daily Devotional, Sarah Hall

Ecclesiastes 3:11 – “He has made everything beautiful in its time.”

We were finally on our way. Newly married, passports in hand, and headed off on our long-awaited honeymoon. We had saved and planned for months, dreaming of rest, romance, and the trip of a lifetime.

The plan was simple: fly out of Shreveport, connect in Dallas, and wake up in London.

We made it to Shreveport in plenty of time. But then came the voice over the intercom—our first flight was delayed. No big deal. We still had time.

But minutes turned to hours, and I felt joy shift into anxiety. My mind began to race. What if we miss our connection flight? What if we lose our first day? What happens then?

Our plane arrived, but when we finally landed in Dallas, we had only five minutes to make it to our next gate. Five minutes.

There was no time to think. We took off running, dragging our bags, legs burning, lungs gasping. We looked ridiculous. But there was no room for dignity when your dream is about to take off without you.

Somehow—miraculously—we made it. We slid into our seats, breathless and stunned, exchanging nervous laughter and wide-eyed relief.

I will never forget the rush of relief. But more than that, I will never forget the lesson that came later. I have felt that same sense of panic in other areas of life. When the doors for job opportunities closed, when plans fell through, or when I looked around and wondered if I was behind, I have really struggled.

But, you know, delay is not denial.

God is not bound by our timelines. It is hard to wait, but what I have learned—what I’m still learning—is that God is never late. And if He has called you to something, He will not forget you.

So, if you feel delayed, stuck, or like your turn will never come, take heart. Even if you are breathless right now, God knows where you are, and He is still getting you there.

May 3, 2025/by Sarah Hall