The Connection Corner

Let Go of the Struggle

“The Lord is my strength and my shield; in Him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to Him.”

Psalms 28:7

I wiped my forehead, squinting up at the sun. I had only mowed half the yard, but my arms already felt like jelly.

It was a game I played with myself—how long could I go before flipping on the automatic drive? At first, it felt like a challenge, something to prove. But now? Now, it felt ridiculous.

“This is for the birds,” I muttered, flipping the switch.

The mower surged forward like it had been waiting for me to give in. Effortless. Smooth. I barely had to touch it.

And that is when it hit me.

How many times had I done this in life? How often did I push through and strain under the weight of stress, worry, and control—when all along, there was power far greater than my own, just waiting for me to surrender?

I had wasted so much energy. So much time fighting battles in my own strength, when God had never asked me to.

I finished the yard, but I could not shake the thought. Because the truth was, I was not the only one struggling.

People all around me were pushing through life exhausted, just like I had been with that mower. And maybe they just needed someone to remind them that there was a better way. That God’s power was not something to reach for as a last resort but something to rely on every single day.

Maybe you have been pushing too hard, too. Maybe someone you know is quietly struggling, thinking they have to handle life alone.

But they don’t. And neither do you.

Let go of the struggle. Flip the switch and show others they can too because God’s power is already here.

March 22, 2025/by Andy Youso

A Mother’s Miracle Moment

Daily Devotional, Lauren Kitchens-Steward

“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”

Romans 10:17

It is rare to come across a story that stops you in your tracks, but a mother wrote to us recently about her son—her bright, beautiful, nonverbal boy with autism, and I was left speechless.

Every morning, they would drive to school with Christian music filling the car. He could not express what he was thinking, but she could see something shifting. His eyes would light up, his hands would still, and his whole posture would change as if something was unfolding inside of him.

Then one morning, everything changed.

Out of nowhere, he spoke. “I want to give my life to Jesus.”

The words hit her like a tidal wave, and she nearly had to pull the car over. In ten years, he had never spoken a full sentence like that. And yet, there it was—clear, certain, and life-changing.

She had no idea that music was laying a foundation in his heart, but God knew. He was working through something as simple as a song on the radio, reaching her son in a way no one else could.

And it makes me wonder—how often do we dismiss the small things? A song, a conversation, a moment of kindness. We think they don’t make much of a difference, but what if they do?

What if the way you show up today—the words you speak, the things you share—is the very thing God wants to use to reach someone?

You may never see it firsthand. But that doesn’t mean it’s not happening.

March 21, 2025/by Lauren Kitchens-Steward

Willingness Over Perfection

Daily Devotional, Sarah Hall

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.

1 Peter 4:10

When I first got my little red truck, I wished I hadn’t. It was small, dinged-up and had a bullet hole—not exactly the dream vehicle for a teenager trying to fit in.

At first, I was embarrassed. People would make jokes about it, and I would laugh along while secretly wishing for something a little nicer.

Then one day, my friend needed a ride to church. I hesitated, but I said yes. Then another friend needed a lift. Then someone else. Before long, my vehicle was packed with people, week after week, headed to a place where they could hear about Jesus.

The more I used it to help others, the less I cared about its dents and scratches. They did not define its worth, just like my own imperfections did not define mine. What I once saw as embarrassing became one of the greatest tools God had ever given me.

How often do we do that? How often do we look at what we have—our time, our resources, our gifts—and decide they aren’t good enough? We assume we need something bigger, better, or more polished before God can work through us. But that is never how He operates.

God doesn’t ask for perfection. He asks for willingness.

Maybe you have been holding back, waiting for something better before you step out. But what if what you have right now is exactly what God wants to use? What if the little, ordinary, unimpressive thing in your hands is the key to something bigger than you imagined?

Because in God’s hands, nothing is too small to make a difference.

March 20, 2025/by Sarah Hall