The Connection Corner

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

The Weight of What-If

Psalm 143:10 — Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your gracious Spirit lead me forward on a firm footing.

Growing up, there was one thing I was especially good at forcing.

Relationships.

From the time I was thirteen years old until I married my husband, I can probably count on one hand the months I wasn’t dating someone.

And looking back, I can tell you something.

That wasn’t because I had relationships all figured out.

Quite the opposite.

I was terrified of being alone.

And when you’re afraid of losing someone, you can start doing just about anything to keep them.

I tried to control situations.

I held on to relationships that weren’t healthy.

I let fear make decisions that should’ve been made with wisdom.

And I spent so much time worrying about whether someone would stay that I rarely stopped to ask whether the relationship was actually good for me.

My mind was constantly running through the same questions.

What if he leaves?

What if he finds someone better?

What if I end up alone?

Friend, let me tell you.

That is exhausting with a capital E.

Because when you’re constantly trying to hold everything together, you never really get to rest.

Looking back now, I can see something I couldn’t see then.

I was so busy trying to make my plans work that I wasn’t asking God what His plans might be.

I wanted control.

I wanted certainty.

I wanted everything to turn out exactly the way I’d imagined.

And that reminds me of two very different kings in the Bible.

Saul and David.

Saul was Israel’s first king. But when he repeatedly chose his own way over God’s instructions, the Lord rejected him as king.

And instead of humbly accepting God’s direction, Saul became consumed with protecting his position.

He even pursued David, the man God had chosen to succeed him.

David, on the other hand, spent years waiting for the kingdom God had promised him.

He had opportunities to take matters into his own hands, but he refused to kill Saul to claim the throne.

Now, David wasn’t perfect.

He made plenty of mistakes along the way.

But listen to the prayer he prayed in Psalm 143.

“Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your gracious Spirit lead me forward on a firm footing.”

I love that.

Teach me to do Your will.

Not God, bless whatever I’ve already decided to do.

Not Lord, make this work because I want it so badly.

But teach me what You want, and help me walk in it.

What a difference that makes.

And I wonder how many of us are exhausting ourselves trying to hold on to something God is asking us to surrender.

Maybe for you, it’s a relationship.

Maybe it’s a job you’ve been chasing.

An opportunity you’re afraid someone else will get.

A plan for your family.

Or a future you’ve pictured so clearly that you can’t imagine anything different.

And there’s nothing wrong with having hopes and dreams.

But there is a difference between working faithfully toward something and trying to control every detail because we’re afraid of what might happen if we don’t.

I know that difference because I’ve lived it.

For years, I thought holding on tighter would make me feel secure.

But it only made me more afraid.

Because the tighter I tried to hold everything, the more terrified I became of losing it.

And here’s what I’m learning.

Trusting God doesn’t mean sitting back and doing nothing.

It means seeking His wisdom, taking the steps He’s given us to take, and being willing to surrender the outcome.

It means recognizing that a closed door isn’t always a failure.

And an open door isn’t automatically an invitation from God.

Sometimes we have to slow down long enough to ask Him which direction He wants us to go.

That’s why David’s prayer is becoming one I want to pray more often.

Lord, teach me to do Your will.

Not just when it’s easy.

Not just when His plans look like mine.

But even when I don’t understand where He’s leading.

Friend, maybe there’s something you’ve been holding so tightly that your hands are tired.

Maybe you’ve been fighting to make something happen because you’re terrified of what it would mean if it didn’t.

Can I encourage you today?

Open your hands.

Bring that relationship, that dream, that opportunity, or that uncertainty before God.

Ask Him to show you what faithfulness looks like right now.

And trust Him enough to follow, even when the path looks different from the one you planned.

Because I’ve discovered something after all those years of trying to control my own story.

Peace doesn’t come from finally getting everything to go my way. It comes from learning to trust the One who knows the way.

I don’t have to force every door.

I don’t have to control every outcome.

And I don’t have to live with clenched fists anymore.

I can give God my plans.

I can give Him my fears.

And I can trust Him with what happens next.

Because His hands are safer than mine.

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

- Is there something in your life right now that you’re trying desperately to control because you’re afraid of losing it?
- Have you ever stayed in a situation or relationship longer than you should have because the uncertainty of letting go felt frightening?
- When you pray about your future, do you spend more time asking God to bless your plans or asking Him to show you His will?
- What can you learn from David’s willingness to wait rather than force the fulfillment of God’s promise?
- What would it look like to pursue your responsibilities faithfully while surrendering the outcome to God?

QUESTION TO CARRY WITH YOU TODAY

What am I holding so tightly that I need to open my hands and trust God with it?

October 17, 2026/by Kirstie Ford

The Dog in the Doorway

Brenda Price, Daily Devotional

Psalm 56:9 — My enemies will retreat when I call to you for help. This I know: God is on my side!

Jake rules the school.

At least, that’s how things work in our house.

Jake is my cat, and Izzy is my dog.

Now, Izzy is about as sweet as they come. But Jake?

Well, I’m pretty sure that cat has been studying the ancient art of ambush.

I’m serious.

He has this little routine where he hides behind the door to my room and waits for Izzy to come walking through.

And let me tell you, Jake isn’t hiding because he’s scared.

Oh, no.

He’s preparing for battle.

And poor Izzy knows it.

I’ll watch her walk toward that doorway, stop dead in her tracks, and look straight at me.

Those big, sad puppy-dog eyes say everything.

Please help me. I know what’s waiting around that corner.

And I can’t help but laugh.

“Izzy, come on! Come on, girl. I’ve got you!”

But she doesn’t budge.

She looks at the doorway.

Then at me.

Then back at the doorway.

Because as far as Izzy is concerned, there’s a very dangerous cat waiting to ruin her day.

So eventually, I get up, walk over, and stand between her and Jake.

And wouldn’t you know it?

Here comes Izzy, trotting right through like she owns the place.

All she needed was to know I was there.

Now, I think this is hilarious.

I mean, it’s a cat!

But the more I watch it happen, the more I realize something.

Sometimes, I’m a whole lot like Izzy.

I can get so worried about what’s waiting around the next corner.

A conversation I don’t want to have.

A problem I don’t know how to solve.

Something that might happen tomorrow.

And before I know it, I’ve stopped moving forward because I’m afraid of what might be waiting on the other side.

I don’t even know for sure what’s going to happen.

But in my mind, I’ve already imagined the worst.

And there I stand.

Looking up at God with my own version of those sad puppy-dog eyes.

Lord, please help me.

Have you ever been there?

I think that’s why I love Psalm 56.

David was facing real enemies and real danger when he wrote these words.

And he said something so simple, but so powerful.

“This I know: God is on my side!”

Not this I hope.

Not this I think might be true.

This I know.

God is on my side.

And do you know what David says earlier in that same psalm?

“When I am afraid, I will put my trust in you.”

I love that he didn’t say if I am afraid.

He said when.

Because even someone who trusted God as deeply as David did still experienced fear.

The difference was what he chose to do with it.

He brought it to God.

And friend, we can do the same thing.

We don’t have to pretend we’re fearless.

We don’t have to know exactly what’s waiting around the corner.

And we don’t have to figure out how to handle every possible problem before we take another step.

We can call on the Lord for help.

We can trust that He hears us.

And we can remember that whatever we’re facing, we’re not facing it alone.

Now, trusting God doesn’t mean every frightening thing will disappear.

Sometimes the hard conversation still has to happen.

Sometimes the problem is still waiting for us.

And sometimes we have to take the next step with our hearts beating a little faster than we’d like.

But we can be afraid and still move forward in faith.

That’s what Izzy reminds me of every time she stands in that doorway.

She doesn’t need to know what Jake is planning.

She just needs to know I’m there.

And maybe today, that’s what you need to remember, too.

You may not know what’s around the corner.

You may not know how everything is going to turn out.

But you can know this:

God is for you.

And the next time fear makes you want to stop right where you are, remember David’s words.

“When I am afraid, I will put my trust in you.”

Then take the next step.

Because you don’t have to walk through that doorway alone.

Thank You, Jesus!

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

What’s something in your life right now that feels like it’s waiting around the corner, making you hesitant to move forward?
Have you ever spent more time worrying about what might happen than dealing with what was actually happening?
How does David’s statement, “When I am afraid, I will put my trust in you,” change the way you think about fear and faith?
When you ask God for help, do you trust Him with the next step, or do you feel you need to know the entire outcome first?
Can you remember a time when God helped you through something you were afraid to face? How might that memory encourage you today?

QUESTION TO CARRY WITH YOU TODAY

What doorway am I afraid to walk through, and what would change if I truly believed God was walking with me?

October 16, 2026/by Brenda Price

Barking Up the Wrong Fence

Daily Devotional, Tammi Arender

Hebrews 13:6 — We can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?”

As the sun begins to rise, I lace up my running shoes and hit the pavement.

My morning route takes me past a used-car lot. At that hour, everything is still quiet. Rows of sedans and SUVs sit behind a chain-link fence, waiting for someone to drive them home.

But I hardly ever notice the cars.

You know what I notice?

The security system.

A hundred-pound Rottweiler.

And let me tell you, that dog takes his job seriously.

Every morning, like clockwork, the second he spots me, here he comes.

Charging across the lot.

Teeth showing.

Growling like I’ve personally offended him.

And even though I’ve run past that lot more times than I can count, I still get that little jolt of fear when he comes barreling toward me.

I mean, he’s a hundred-pound Rottweiler!

But lately, something has started to change.

Not the dog.

He’s still just as loud, just as intimidating, and apparently just as convinced that I’m a threat to the entire car dealership.

What’s changed is where I’m looking.

Instead of focusing on those teeth and that enormous dog charging toward me, I’ve started paying attention to something else.

The fence.

That chain-link fence standing between us.

Now, I still give that dog plenty of space. But when he starts barking, I remind myself that there’s a barrier between us.

And I keep running.

The funny thing is, the dog hasn’t changed.

The fence hasn’t changed.

What’s changed is what I’m choosing to focus on.

And I wonder how often we need that same reminder in our walk with God.

Because life has a way of sending things charging toward us, doesn’t it?

Fear.

Uncertainty.

Disappointment.

A difficult conversation.

A situation we never saw coming.

And sometimes those things feel enormous.

They’re loud. They’re intimidating. And they have a way of making us want to stop right where we are.

But listen to what Hebrews 13:6 says.

“The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear.”

And do you know what God promises in the verse just before that?

“I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.”

I love that.

Our confidence doesn’t come from knowing that nothing frightening will ever happen.

It comes from knowing that whatever happens, God will not abandon us.

Now, God isn’t a chain-link fence.

And following Jesus doesn’t mean we’ll never get hurt, experience disappointment, or walk through something difficult.

But just as that fence reminds me there’s something I haven’t been paying attention to, God’s promises remind me there’s Someone I can always depend on.

Someone greater than the things that frighten me.

Someone who sees what I cannot see.

Someone who has promised to stay with me.

And maybe that’s what you need to remember today.

Maybe something in your life feels like it’s charging straight toward you.

Maybe you’ve been so focused on the size of the problem that you’ve forgotten the faithfulness of the God who walks beside you.

Friend, look again.

Not because the problem isn’t real.

Not because you have nothing to be concerned about.

But because the thing you’re facing isn’t the only thing that’s true.

God is with you.

He is your helper.

And He has promised never to leave you.

So tomorrow morning, when I lace up my running shoes and head past that car lot, I have a feeling that Rottweiler will be waiting.

He’ll probably bark.

He’ll probably charge.

And I’ll probably still jump a little.

But I’m going to keep running.

Because I’ve learned to remember something bigger than the thing that’s scaring me.

And whatever you’re facing today, I hope you’ll remember it, too.

Don’t let fear make you forget Who is with you.

Take courage.

Trust your Helper.

And keep running the race God has placed before you.

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

What’s the biggest source of fear or uncertainty in your life right now? How much of your attention has it been consuming?
Have you ever experienced a situation that didn’t change, but your perspective changed when you remembered God’s faithfulness?
How does God’s promise, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you,” affect the way you face difficult circumstances?
Are you allowing fear to keep you from taking a step you believe God is asking you to take?
What’s one practical way you can shift your focus from the size of your problem to the faithfulness of God today?