The Connection Corner

A daily source of encouragement and inspiration to connect your heart to hope and faith.

Full Circle Encouragement

Proverbs 11:25 — A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.

Some days, advice comes out of my mouth a whole lot easier than it is to hear it.

Yeah, recently I was encouraging someone. We were having a long conversation over coffee, and I meant every word I said.

“God’s got you. Don’t settle. Don’t rush it. Wait for His best.”

Then I went home, sat down at my computer to get some work done. The internet was slow so I was left staring straight into that spinning blue circle of death.

You know the one. That little wheel that just goes round and round making no progress like it’s got all the time in the world. And wouldn’t you know, that’s exactly what my life felt like in that moment. Waiting on a breakthrough. Waiting on God’s timing. Waiting on something—anything—to move forward.

That’s when the temptation creeps in.

“Maybe I’ll just settle.

“Maybe this is close enough.

“Maybe waiting is overrated.”

Which is funny, considering what I just told my friend.

Then, out of nowhere, my phone buzzed.

A message popped up from another friend, and I had to laugh—out loud—because there it was. Nearly word for word.

“Don’t settle. God’s got you. Hold out for His best.”

And then it hit me: sometimes God brings encouragement full circle. We all get discouraged at times, and the very seeds of encouragement we sow into other’s lives, God uses them to comfort us.

Scripture puts it plain as day. Proverbs 11:25 says, “A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.” And sometimes that generosity isn’t money — it’s encouragement. It’s truth spoken at the right time. It’s hope offered when someone else is tired. And God promises that what we pour out, He pours back in.

The blue circle on my screen was still spinning. The situation hadn’t magically resolved. But something in me had settled—not into compromise, but into trust. I took a deep breath. I remembered what I already knew. God wastes nothing. Not words. Not waiting. Not even the sermons we preach to ourselves and forget five minutes later.

So if today feels like you’re stuck in that waiting place—watching life buffer while everyone else seems to move on—hear this gently. The kindness you’ve shown. The prayers you’ve prayed. The hope you’ve spoken out loud when you didn’t feel it yourself… none of it is lost.

It may come back to you in a text. Or a conversation. Or a quiet reminder right when you need it most.

And when it does, maybe you’ll smile too—realizing you didn’t need a new sermon after all.

You just needed to take your own good advice to heart.

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

When was the last time you encouraged someone with words you needed to hear yourself?
Where in your life are you tempted to “settle” instead of trusting God’s timing?
Proverbs 11:25 promises that those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed. How have you experienced that truth personally?
What seeds of encouragement have you planted recently — and how might God be using them in ways you cannot yet see?
If you took your own best advice to heart today, what would change?

February 24, 2026/by Tammi Arender

The God Who Never Gets Tired of You

Daily Devotional, David Hall

Ephesians 1:16-17 — I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God.

Do you remember how afternoons felt when you were a kid? They felt endless.

I’d skid into the driveway, ditch my backpack, and grab my bike. Sneakers half-tied. Sun still high. I’d pedal up and down the street, knocking on doors, gathering friends until the gang was assembled. Once we were together, we knew exactly where we were headed.

Mrs. Glenda’s house.

She lived right next door, which makes it feel more like visiting than trespassing. Her front door was always open. We’d knock on the screen door and wait.

“Mrs. Glenda, do you have any candy?” I’d say.

Of course she did. She always did. She’d smile like she had been hoping someone would ask, then reach for a bucket of candy like it was Halloween on a random Tuesday.

With suckers in hand, we’d ride off into the sunset, disappearing into whatever adventures our imaginations cooked up. And there she’d be, standing in the doorway, smiling and waving like she hadn’t just given away candy for the fifth time that week.

I remember being appreciative for the candy, but never really knowing just how special that was. Because the miracle wasn’t the candy—it was the consistency. We kept showing up, and she kept answering. I think about it now, and think “At what point do you become a nuisance.” Did she ever get tired of us kids stopping by?

I don’t think she did.

You don’t run into many people like that. And replaying those afternoons now, and that’s where those memories connect with me spiritually.

We’re told to pray. To ask. To knock. But if we’re honest, we sometimes hesitate. We wonder if God gets tired of us or if our prayers are too repetitive.

We worry we’re wearing God out, but really, He’s inviting us in.

God isn’t rationing His goodness or guarding the door. But I’m learning that His greatest answers to prayer aren’t always quick fixes. The sweetest gift is Him.

That’s why Paul’s prayer in Ephesians lands differently now. He writes: “I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God.”

Paul doesn’t ask for fewer problems or easier circumstances. He asks for deeper knowing. He asks that their hearts would grow in wisdom and insight—not just to receive from God, but to truly know Him.

And notice the rhythm of his prayer. He doesn’t stop thanking. He’s constantly asking. Over and over. He’s not worried about bothering God—confident that God welcomes the asking.

So don’t worry, God isn’t annoyed by repeated prayers. Often, it’s through persistent prayer that He reveals more of Himself to us.

Keep showing up. Keep knocking. Keep riding right up to the door with whatever your carrying that day. Ask boldly for more wisdom and nearness. Ask for more of Him.

The door is already open, and you were never a bother.

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

Do you ever hesitate to bring the same prayer to God more than once? Why?
Are you praying mainly for circumstances to change, or for deeper wisdom and closeness with Him?
What would it look like to approach God with childlike confidence instead of quiet reluctance?
Where in your life is God inviting you to keep knocking instead of walking away?
How might your faith grow if you believed you were never a burden to your Heavenly Father?

February 23, 2026/by David Hall

Your Way is Better

Brenda Price, Daily Devotional

Psalm 84:10 — A single day in your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else! I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked.

He’s sitting in a coffee shop with his laptop open, but nothing is getting done.

Forrest Frank stares at a glowing screen while his mind runs ahead of him—unfinished assignments, rising expectations, a low-grade anxiety humming in the background. The music is off now. It isn’t helping. What he can’t ignore is the truth settling in his chest: he’s exhausted from trying to hold everything together.

Forrest grew up around church. Faith was familiar—songs, language, the rhythm of it all—but it never moved from his head to his life. By the time he reached Baylor University, confusion about belief followed him everywhere. College has a way of magnifying old insecurities. Comparison gets louder. Pressure builds. Everyone else looks like they know where they’re going, and Forrest feels stuck, spinning his wheels.

He tries to outrun the unease by staying busy, productive, impressive. But peace never comes. Sitting there with his coffee going cold, he realizes how tired he is of carrying the weight alone. The harder he tries to make life work on his terms, the heavier it feels.

That’s when the thought comes—quiet, inconvenient, easy to dismiss.

Go to church.

It’s a Wednesday night. This isn’t part of his plan. Still, he listens. He closes the laptop, leaves the coffee shop, and walks into a service without expecting anything to change.

People are singing. Hands are raised. Voices are imperfect but sincere. Forrest stands there unsure what he’s even hoping for.

But God meets him there.

The weight on his shoulders begins to lift. The tightness in his chest loosens. It feels like coming up for air after holding your breath too long. For the first time, insecurity doesn’t get the final word. He stops trying to manage everything himself and starts trusting God instead.

After the service, a woman he’s never met approaches him. She tells him she had a dream—one where Forrest is making music that points people back to God.

At the time, it doesn’t make sense. Forrest hasn’t written a single faith-centered song. Still, her words stay with him. That night becomes a turning point.

He keeps making music, but something has shifted. He obsesses over melody and structure, layering sound carefully, studying culture, blending hip-hop, pop, and gospel because he wants the music to be honest—not boxed in, not forced.

Success comes. Platforms grow. Opportunities open. But they’re no longer the goal. Surrender is. Letting God use what he creates becomes the point.

You can hear it in his song Your Way Is Better.

Forrest understood that all the options he chased—the good life, the right image, the next win—were never enough to quiet his soul. Just like the Psalmist who said “Better is one day in Your courts than a thousand elsewhere.”

Most people have their own coffee shop moment—the place where the noise gets loud enough that surrender becomes an option. What happens next matters. Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is listen, take one small, unplanned step toward God, and let Him reshape everything.

Because when you’re overwhelmed by the weight of trying to manage your own life, you discover that one moment in God’s presence is better than a thousand spent chasing everything else.

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

Where are you currently trying to hold everything together on your own?
What “thousand elsewhere” are you chasing that still hasn’t brought peace?
When was the last time you intentionally stepped into God’s presence without an agenda?
Is there a quiet nudge from God you’ve been dismissing because it wasn’t part of your plan?
What might change if you truly believed that one day with Him is better than any success without Him?

LYRICS:

[Verse 1]
When I’m overwhelmed within
From the weight of all my sin
I need a friend to call my own
I need a house to call my home
When I’m broken down inside
And there’s nowhere else to hide
I need a place where I feel known
Can someone help me?
Then I hear your reply
Bringing teardrops to my eyes
Saying I’m not alone

[Chorus]
Oh Lord, I need you now more than ever
Would you put my heart back together
I searched the world till my hеad hurt
Just to find out your way’s better
Oh-oh, your ways bettеr
Oh-oh, your ways better
Oh, Lord, your ways better
Jesus, your ways better

[Verse 2]
Lord, I am so thankful for the ways that you blessed me
Everything you say making waves like a jetski
You love every part of me, even when I was messy
Now I see the heart in your beauty
So, I can finally sing Jehovah-Jireh provider
Your way always gets me higher
Even on my darkest days, you’re a lighter
My Messiah

[Chorus: Forrest Frank & Choir]
Oh Lord, I need you now more than ever
Would you put my heart back together
I searched the world till my head hurt
Just to find out your way’s better
Oh-oh, your ways better
Oh-oh, your ways better
Oh, Lord, your ways better
Jesus (Mmm)
Lord, I need you now more than ever
Would you put my heart back together
I searched the world till my head hurt
Just to find out your way’s better
Oh-oh, your ways better
Oh-oh, your ways better
Oh, Lord, your ways better
Jesus, your ways better

[Outro]
Ohh-ohh, your ways better
Ohh-ohh, your ways better
Ohh-ohh, your ways better
Jesus, your ways better
It’s better, better, better
It’s better, better, better
It’s better, better, better
It’s better than the rest

LYRICS:

Better Is One Day
Verse 1
How lovely is Your dwelling place
O Lord almighty
For my soul longs and even faints for You
For here my heart is satisfied
Within Your presence
I sing beneath the shadow of Your wings

Chorus
Better is one day in Your courts
Better is one day in Your house
Better is one day in Your courts
Than thousands elsewhere
(Than thousands elsewhere)

Verse 2
One thing I ask and I would seek
To see Your beauty
To find You in the place
Your glory dwells
(REPEAT)

Bridge
My heart and flesh cry out
For You the living God
Your Spirit’s water to my soul
I’ve tasted and I’ve seen
Come once again to me
I will draw near to You
I will draw near to You to You

Bridge
Better is one day better is one day
Better is one day than thousands elsewhere
Better is one day better is one day
Better is one day than thousands elsewhere

Facedown
Chorus
And I’ll fall facedown
As Your glory shines around
Yes I’ll fall facedown
As Your glory shines around

Bridge
So let Your glory shine around
Let Your glory shine around
King of glory here be found
King of glory

Written by Matt Redman

February 22, 2026/by Brenda Price