The Connection Corner

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

Love In the Breakroom

Luke 6:27-28 — But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.

It started with a phone call. My sister’s voice cracked as she said, “I think my coworker just doesn’t like me.”

She’d only been at this new job a few weeks, and she was doing everything she could to make a good impression. But something was off.

So, she kept her head down, focused on her computer, and tried to stay out of the way. Still, she could feel the tension every time she walked into the room.

She’d come home tight and quiet, replaying conversations in her head, wondering what she had done wrong.

That night on the phone, I just listened. She didn’t need advice as much as she needed a safe place to land. And somewhere between her tears and my silence, a verse came to mind—the one about loving your enemies, doing good to those who treat you poorly, and praying for them.

That night on the phone, I just listened. She didn’t need advice as much as she needed a safe place to land. And somewhere between her tears and my silence, a verse came to mind—Jesus’ words in Luke 6:27–28:

“Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.”

I hesitated to say it out loud, but before I could finish, she nodded.

“Yeah,” she said softly. “That’s what God’s been saying to my heart too.”

So we prayed. We asked God for peace, for wisdom, and maybe even for a small miracle in the breakroom.

The next week, she decided to live it out. She prayed for her coworker every morning before clocking in. She greeted her with kindness, even when it wasn’t returned. She offered help without being asked.

And while nothing about her coworker seemed to change, something in her did. The stress in her voice disappeared. The tension in her shoulders eased. She was lighter, freer—like she’d been unburdened.

Looking back, that coworker may or may not have had a grudge, but my sister definitely felt the “not-love” in the air. Still, God kept showing her: love your enemies, even when you don’t know where they stand.

And that’s what’s powerful about her choice. Because when we choose to love anyway—even when it costs us comfort or pride—we get to take part in the healing God is already doing in the world.

Who knows? Maybe the hardest person to love today is exactly the one who needs it most.

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

Who is the “difficult person” in your life right now, and what small step of love or kindness could you offer them today?
How have you seen God transform your own heart when you chose to love someone who was hard to love?
What might you need to release—pride, fear, assumptions—in order to pray sincerely for someone who has hurt you?

November 19, 2025/by Sarah Hall

Hope Working Behind The Scenes

Bri Dunn, Daily Devotional

1 Thessalonians 1:3 — As we pray to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and the enduring hope you have because of our Lord Jesus Christ.

You ever have those days when what you do just feels unnoticed? You keep showing up and serving faithfully, but you wonder if anyone would even notice if you stopped.

I thought about that the other day because of my friend Kaylee.

She just had her baby—who is just over a month old—and for now, she is home, trying to be careful.

But she loves her church and loves serving. It’s part of who she is, so staying home right now has been harder than she expected.

One Sunday, she sat in her living room, with her little one wrapped snuggly in her arms, and turned on the church livestream and enjoyed the service.

Later she told me, “I just felt so thankful for the sound guy.”

Then she grinned and said, “But not the one you normally think about. I mean the guy who runs sound for the online service.”

She said she pictured him sitting there, maybe tired, sliding those dials up and down, keeping everything running.

“He probably has no idea,” she said, “but what he is doing matters so much to me right now.”

And honestly, I love that story. Because that’s probably one of the most thankless jobs on the planet. But here’s the thing: Kaylee is our pastor’s daughter, and she’d been having a tough time. That sound guy (whoever he is) was the reason she could worship at home with her newborn.

It reminds me that nothing we do for the Lord is ever wasted.

Maybe that’s what Paul was talking about in 1 Thessalonians 1:3 when he wrote about our work of faith, labor of love, and steadfastness of hope in Jesus. He knew the small, faithful things done quietly and consistently are what hold the family of faith together.

So, if what you’re doing feels small or unnoticed, remember Kaylee’s sound guy. He was just doing his job, but that ordinary act reached right into her living room and reminded her she still belonged to the body of Christ.

If you are faithfully serving in the shadows, wondering if it makes a difference, just know this. You don’t know when the little things you do are actually a lifeline for someone you’re serving. It matters, and you are making an eternal impact.

Someone, somewhere, might be thanking God for what you do.

And that is anything but small.

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

When have you felt unseen or unnoticed in your service to others? How might God be working through you even when no one else sees?
Who has quietly impacted your life in a meaningful way? How can you thank or encourage them this week?
What “small” act of faithfulness can you offer God today, trusting that He can use it in ways you may never know?

November 18, 2025/by Bri Dunn

Gratitude Grounds the Soul

Brenda Price, Daily Devotional

Psalm 100:4 — Enter His gates with thanksgiving; go into His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and praise His name.

I woke up this morning before the sun. I sat at the kitchen table with my coffee and just listened—to the hum of the refrigerator, the wind brushing the trees outside, and the slow ticking of the clock.

And I realized how easy it is to forget that life is full of small, wonderful, everyday gifts.

Gratitude hit me then. I try to take deep breaths and practice this every day because I know gratitude is not just a nice idea. It is a lifeline.

It’s not just for Thanksgiving or when everything finally falls into place. Gratitude is how you hold steady when life is messy. When bills are overdue. When relationships are strained. When your energy is gone and your prayers feel like whispers into the wind.

Even then, God hasn’t left.

He has been faithful all along, and that’s a promise you can rely on.

I thought about Psalm 100:4: “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and bless His name.”

The verse is a way I protect my heart. It keeps my spirit grounded and steadies me when my world feels crazy. Every sunrise, every warm cup of coffee, every answered prayer—even the small ones—is proof that His goodness never stops.

That’s why gratitude is one of my favorite spiritual weapons that God gives.

Some days, it’s hard to remember. I don’t always start off this well, but I know I can start any place and any time. Right here. Right now.

I can choose to focus on all the good things I see around me, even the ones wrapped in the hard parts of life. Because staying grateful isn’t ignoring the struggle; it’s trusting God with it.

So today, I want you to try it too. Look around. Name one small blessing, then another. Let gratitude remind you that God is still good, still present, still faithful. Let it steady your heart. Let it anchor your spirit.

And maybe, just maybe, you’ll notice that the same God who has never left you is making miracles out of the ordinary, and giving you a reason to keep moving forward with hope.

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

What are some small blessings around you right now that you may have overlooked lately?
How can gratitude shift your focus when life feels uncertain or overwhelming?
In what ways has God shown His faithfulness to you recently, even in the hard seasons?
How might practicing daily gratitude deepen your connection with God and others?
What does “entering His gates with thanksgiving” look like in your life today?