The Connection Corner

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

The Wisdom Behind Preparation

Romans 15:5-7 — May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus. Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory.

I am once again sprinting through my morning.

My keys are missing. The coffee is too hot. My shoes are nowhere to be found. I’m moving so fast, talking faster, and stressed about everything. I need help! And there he is—Chris, my husband—calmly tying his shoes like the world is not on fire.

He’s ready.

Of course he is.

His coffee is brewed. His lunch is packed. He has his Bible open. Calm. Unbothered.

I give a sideways glance at him while I’m rushing past. I tease him, of course, for moving at a snail’s pace and joke that he’s acting like he’s on vacation while I’m breaking a sweat.

But then I stop myself. Because the truth is, I’m really inspired by his mornings. I don’t think I have ever seen this man live with a drop of anxiety at all. And do you know why? I think that’s on purpose.

Day after day, he’s prepared.

His peace is practiced. It’s not accidental. Chris thought ahead and took care of some things the night before. He gave his future self a gift. And now he’s living in the peace that preparation creates.

Watching him, my mind drifts to something Jesus once taught about wisdom. He talked about two people building two houses. Same weather. Same storm. One stands. One falls. The difference wasn’t the storm. It was the foundation.

Jesus wasn’t giving a lesson on productivity or morning routines. He was talking about lives built on obedience to Him—lives anchored in truth rather than impulse. Still, standing there with my shoes in the wrong place and my heart in a hurry, I can’t help but notice how wisdom often shows up long before the wind starts howling.

Preparation doesn’t save us. Jesus does. But wisdom has a way of shaping how we walk through the day He gives us.

That realization changes everything.

So, I start small. Imperfectly. I lay out my clothes the night before. I do a little meal prep. I set my alarm a few minutes earlier. Not to earn peace, but to make space for it.

And something shifts.

I’m not magically calm. The mornings aren’t flawless. But I’m less reactive. I have time to open my Bible. I have time to sit on the floor and play with my toddler. I have time to breathe before the day starts asking things of me.

So maybe this is the simple invitation found in moments like these. When you notice someone living with steadiness, maybe it’s not meant to make you feel like a failure. Maybe it’s meant to remind you that wisdom is available.

Instead of just learning to prepare like Chris, you’re learning to accept differences with grace, not irritation.

Peace isn’t something you chase. It’s something you build your life around, one intentional choice at a time, on a foundation that actually holds when the storm comes.

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

How do you typically respond when someone’s pace or rhythm is different from yours?
Is there someone in your life whose calm or steadiness frustrates you more than it encourages you?
What would it look like to accept others as Christ has accepted you—without comparison or irritation?
Are there small, intentional choices you could make to create more peace in your daily rhythms?
How might patience and encouragement change the atmosphere of your home or relationships today?

January 13, 2026/by Bri Dunn

Love Has No Expiration Date

Daily Devotional, Tammi Arender

Ephesians 3:20-21 — Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to Him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.

I did not notice it at first, the habit I was forming. It felt harmless. Normal. I checked my phone while I waited for the coffee to brew, then again a few minutes later.

There on my screen I saw a friend who just graduated, earning a new title. Someone else had traveled somewhere pretty. Somebody younger than me just started some big, meaningful, and impressive business. Another just finished running a marathon.

And there it is—that pinch in my chest that says, “Well, Tammi… look at your life.”

At this point in my life, I’m closer to the tomb than the womb. That’s just math. And it has a way of making me ask uncomfortable questions, like what I’ve actually done with all the years God handed me.

That’s my bad habit, playing the comparison game.

And sometimes it really gets to me. I start measuring my life against everybody else’s highlight reels. That never goes well. I catch myself staring at a browser tab that might as well be titled “Why Not Me.”

I tell myself it’s probably too late to make a difference now. That the best I’ve got to offer has already been spent.

Then something small usually interrupts my spiral. It’s usually something ordinary. A friend thanks me for listening when no one else had time. A neighbor mentions that one meal I cooked for them and how it blessed them on a day they were barely holding it together. Things I had already forgotten about were invaluable for someone else.

I had forgotten that God is working in me and had done more through my life than I even knew. Ephesians 3:20–21 says, “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

Somehow, God isn’t limited by my timeline the way I am. He’s still working with what I’ve got—right here, right now—using small, faithful things to do more than I could ever dream. Apparently, He has been doing this a long time.

So I closed that “Why Not Me” tab.

I open my planner instead. The real one. And I write down something simple: Do one thing today for somebody else.

Turns out, dreams don’t have expiration dates. Neither does kindness. So let’s stop comparing ourselves. Whether we’re baking or blessing, mentoring or mending, there’s always someone who could use what you can give. Maybe today it’s a phone call or a note or a meal made with a little extra butter. Maybe it’s just showing up when it would be easier not to.

And maybe that’s how God will do more in your life than you could ever ask or imagine— by living for Him one ordinary, heartfelt moment at a time.

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

Where do you find yourself comparing your life to others most often?
How has comparison shaped the way you view your own story or purpose?
Can you name a small moment when God used something ordinary you did to bless someone else?
What does it look like for you to trust that God is still working—right here, right now?
What is one simple act of faithfulness or kindness you could choose today instead of comparison?

January 12, 2026/by Tammi Arender

Safety in the Rock

Bri Dunn, Daily Devotional

Psalm 61:2 — From the ends of the earth, I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the towering rock of safety.

I remember sitting in the back seat as a little girl, the hum of the car engine filling the quiet between songs. My mom’s voice floated from the front, singing words I didn’t yet understand: “When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the Rock that is higher than I.”

Back then, I shrugged. What did that even mean? A rock higher than I? It sounded safe, sure, but abstract. I could sense that it was something good, but it just didn’t make sense yet. I just smiled and let the melody wash over me, not realizing how much it was being tucked into my heart.

Years later, I now find myself reaching for and singing those words myself. Life can be challenging and full of worries and responsibilities. My chest tightens from stress, but then I sing out that melody I learned from my mom.

“When my heart is overwhelmed…”

Psalm 61:2 comes to mind every time I sing that hymn. It says, “From the ends of the earth, I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the towering rock of safety.”

And just like that, the overwhelm shifts. It’s a habit etched deep in my heart, and I’m so thankful for my mom’s example because it modeled how I could turn to God even in the stress and put my trust in Him.

When I do, “the Rock that is higher than I” isn’t abstract anymore. He’s tangible. He’s powerful, and He’s the safest place I can run to when I’m overwhelmed.

Now I am the one in the front seat setting the example for others. When they see my life, I hope they can learn that there is someone we can all turn to when we feel crushed or overwhelmed.

Faith is often passed down in small ways like that. Not sermons. Not perfect words. Just habits, patterns, and examples repeated until they become part of who we are.

That’s what makes me stop and think. Who first showed you where to run when life felt heavy? And who is watching how you respond now? Foundations matter. Not because life spares us from difficulty, but because when it comes, we already know where to go.

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

When you feel overwhelmed, where is your instinct to run first?
Is there a song, verse, or prayer from your past that God brings back to you in stressful moments?
Who modeled faith for you in small, everyday ways—and how did that shape you?
What habits are you forming now that others might one day lean on?
What would it look like today to intentionally run to God as your place of safety instead of trying to carry everything alone?

Lyrics:

When my heart is overwhelmed
When I barely trust myself
Lead me to the Rock
Higher than I

When the night is closing in
To remind me of my sin
Lead me to the Rock
Higher than I

Lead me to the Rock
Higher than I

Higher than I
Higher than I
Higher than I
Higher than I

So much stronger
So much greater
So much wiser
So much higher

Higher than I
Higher than I

When the doubt is rising up
When it comes in like a flood
Lead me to the Rock
Higher than I
Yeah lead me to the Rock
Higher than I

Where else would I go
Who else would I run to
Where else would I go
Who else would I run to

Written by Steven Furtick, Chris Brown, Brandon Lake, Mitch Wong
©2025 Music by Elevation Worship Publishing / Brandon Lake Music / Original Wong Publishing / Bell Music Publishing

January 11, 2026/by Bri Dunn