The Connection Corner

Already Loved

Daily Devotional, David Hall, Heart of the Artist

Jeremiah 31:3 – I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.

The day I lost one hundred pounds, I expected fireworks.

I had imagined it over and over: stepping onto the scale, seeing the number, and somehow feeling more loved by God than I did before. In my mind, I thought He would put His arm around me and whisper, “Now you are worthy. Now you are enough.”

But there I was in my own bathroom, standing barefoot on the scale, and nothing about God’s love had changed one ounce.

It was the same steady love I had known the day I could barely bend down to tie my shoes. The same love that was there when I sweated just from peeling an orange. It was the same love that never flinched when I turned to food because I did not know what else to do with my sadness.

The truth settled in slowly like the way a sunrise sneaks over the horizon. I had not earned more of His affection by shedding pounds. And the irony of it made me smile.

I was chasing a reward I already had. Yes, the discipline mattered. Yes, the growth was worth celebrating. But none of it increased the love of God that had been constant from the start.

I stepped off the scale lighter, not just in body but in heart. And it left me wondering: how many of us are still waiting for some future breakthrough to feel loved, when we are already standing in it?

— Micah Tyler

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

Have you ever believed you needed to earn God’s love through performance or progress?
How does Jeremiah 31:3 challenge the way you see your worth?
What would it look like for you to live today as someone who is already fully loved?
Where in your life is God inviting you to rest, rather than strive, in His affection?

October 18, 2025/by David Hall

The Freedom of Saying No

Daily Devotional, Sarah Hall

Galatians 1:10 –Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.

There I was again, sitting at my desk, pretending not to feel overwhelmed. I had said yes to another favor I didn’t have time for, and now I was knee-deep in a project that had nothing to do with me.

My own work sat untouched, the clock kept marching, and I was secretly furious with myself for falling into the same trap yet again.

I grew up thinking if I could just stay on everyone’s good side, life would go smoother. And maybe for a while it did. Smiles all around, no ruffled feathers. But somewhere in the middle, I started to realize I wasn’t living to please the Lord at all. I was just pleasing people.

The truth is, I was worn out. There would always be one more expectation to meet and one more approval to earn. And the more I did this, the more I knew how empty it was.

That day, with my inbox overflowing and my own work untouched, something in me snapped. I pushed my chair back, closed my eyes for a moment, and asked God for the courage to stop people pleasing.

And then I did something small, but it felt huge. I told someone “no.”

I said it kindly and gently, but it was firm. And then I went back to the work God had actually given me.

It’s not like my life changed overnight. But step by step, I started making choices that honored Him instead of everyone else’s opinions. Saying “yes” when it was right and “no” when it was wise. I learned to live with the fact that not everyone would understand, and that’s okay.

Paul said it this way in Galatians 1:10:

“Am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God?… If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.”

And let me tell you, the peace that comes with that far outweighs the false comfort of keeping everyone happy.

So now when I walk through those office doors, I can carry myself differently. Not because I’m perfect, but because I’m finally learning to live for God, not man.

Because if they never gave me life, why should they be the ones I live for?

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

In what areas of your life do you feel pressured to please others more than God?
How does Galatians 1:10 challenge your perspective on approval and purpose?
What’s one boundary you could set this week that helps you honor God first?
How can you practice saying “yes” to what God is calling you to—and “no” to what He isn’t?

October 17, 2025/by Sarah Hall

Fear Is a Mouse with a Microphone

Daily Devotional, Tammi Arender

Isaiah 35:4 – Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong, and do not fear, for your God is coming to destroy your enemies. He is coming to save you.”

I never thought I would scream that loudly over something so small.

I had jumped up on the couch like the floor was lava, and it was all because a mouse skittered across my living room. Yes. That’s right. Three ounces of fur had reduced me to full-on panic mode.

Once my heart stopped pounding, I laughed at myself. How could something so small stir up so much fear?

But then I thought about how often I let the same thing happen in life. Tomorrow’s unknowns creep in, and I react like that mouse might eat me. Will there be enough money for that bill? Will that situation work out? What if I cannot handle what is coming?

The truth is, most of what I fear does not deserve the weight I give it. They may be frustrating, like rodents and roaches, but they are not stronger than God. He’s the One who holds my tomorrow.

Isaiah 35:4 says, “Say to those who have an anxious heart, ‘Be strong; fear not! For your God is coming to destroy your enemies. He is coming to save you.”

I looked at the spot where the mouse had vanished, and I finally smiled. Maybe the panic was not wasted after all, because it reminded me of something I forget too easily. I am not asked to carry tomorrow. I am only asked to trust that God already has it in His hands.

Tomorrow does not need your fear, only your faith.

Because when it comes down to it, a mouse in the house, or a worry in the mind, is never as powerful as it pretends to be.

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

What “small fears” have been taking up too much space in your heart lately?
How does Isaiah 35:4 remind you of God’s strength in the face of your worries?
What would it look like today to trade one specific fear for faith?
Can you think of a time when fear felt big—but God proved Himself bigger?

October 16, 2025/by Tammi Arender