The Connection Corner

Honey for the Heart

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?

May 23, 2026/by Brenda Price

Give a Grouch a Cookie

Daily Devotional, Denise Pagano

Galatians 6:10 — Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.

You know someone. Oh, yes, you do.

You know who I’m talking about.

The human rain cloud, the sigh before the sentence, the person who treats “good morning” like a personal attack. You’re picturing them right now, aren’t you? Well, “Do a Grouch a Favor Day” is an actual day. Now stay with me, because somewhere along the way, we all decided the proper response to grumpiness is avoidance.

You delete the group chat, you slide past them in the hallway, send a reaction emoji instead of actual compassion. But what if instead of rolling our eyes, we rolled up with our favorite snack? What if the person who growls at the staff meeting is just one chocolate chip cookie away from home? Think about that. What if the coworker who vents like it’s an Olympic sport just needs someone to say, “All right… tell me what’s really going on.”

Here’s a wild thought. The loudest grump in the room might just be the loneliest heart in the room. And maybe this is our chance to lean in, to do a little good right where we are, especially when it would be easier to keep our distance.

Now here’s a few things you could do.

You could surprise them with their go-to treat, maybe offer help with the project they’ve been wrestling with. Or even just write a note that says, “I see you.”

Or another thought—just let them grumble it all out.

Because sometimes the cure for cranky isn’t correction. It’s compassion. A gentle answer turns away wrath—not a clapback, not a sarcastic meme. Gentleness.

So today, find the grouch and love them anyway. Not to fix them or win them over, but to quietly choose kindness in a place where it’s rarely expected. Take every opportunity you have to do good. Because sometimes hearts soften one small act at a time… and yes, a chocolate chip cookie probably doesn’t hurt either.

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

Who in your life is difficult to love right now?
Have you ever considered that someone’s irritability may be masking loneliness or pain?
How do you typically respond to negative or grumpy people?
What is one practical way you could “do good” for someone this week without expecting anything in return?
How has God shown patience and kindness toward you in difficult seasons?

May 22, 2026/by Denise Pagano

A Super Life to Live

Daily Devotional, David Hall

Philippians 2:4 — Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

There are stories we’ve all played out in our heads and hearts since we were kids. Cops and robbers, kings and queens, or racecar drivers…

For me, I imagined life as a superhero.

Cape and all. With fight sequences, slow-motion landings, and last-second saves.

I remember having a trampoline in my back yard. That was the best place to play out action-packed superhero games with your friends.

The neighborhood kids and I would bounce and flip, shooting imaginary webs and lasers and taking turns being the hero while everyone else played the bad guys.

It was chaotic and creative and honestly… kind of perfect.

…until it wasn’t…

Because you remember how those childhood games go.

It’s all fun until someone breaks a rule. Rules, that of course, you are actively making up as you go. Rules that were never agreed upon. And just like that, the play fighting turns into real fighting.

Someone gets upset. Someone storms off crying. And somehow, the very next day, you all get back together again to play the same game expecting different results.

I think we still do that in life, don’t we?

We just don’t call it a game anymore.

We carry around quiet rules. Things like unspoken expectations about how people should treat us, respond to us, or show up for us. Some of those things are good. But some of them… are just our rules.

And when people don’t follow them, it stings. It feels like they’re playing it wrong.

But what if that’s the problem?

Maybe life was never meant to revolve around my version of the game. Maybe the real win isn’t getting others to meet my expectations, but learning to lay mine down long enough to truly see others. To value them above myself. To care for them.

Because the strongest kind of life—the kind that actually holds people together—doesn’t come from always being the hero. It looks more like Jesus’s life, who set aside the spotlight, picked up a towel, and served the people in front of Him.

Turns out, that’s a better story to tell, isn’t it?

And maybe, you start to see that winning looks a lot more like love.

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

What “quiet rules” or unspoken expectations do you tend to place on others?
How do you usually react when people don’t meet those expectations?
In what ways did Jesus model humility and service instead of self-focus?
What would it look like to genuinely value someone else’s needs above your own this week?
Where might God be inviting you to trade being “right” for choosing love instead?

May 21, 2026/by David Hall

Honey for the Heart

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

Give a Grouch a Cookie

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

A Super Life to Live

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

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