The Connection Corner

Finding Joy in Life’s Unexpected Gifts

Proverbs 3:5-6 – Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

When I heard the news that we were expecting our third daughter… I nearly passed out.

There is no poetic way to say it. I was stunned. We were not trying. We were not planning. We were not even vaguely thinking about starting over. We already had two beautiful daughters, Ashlyn and Madison. Our world was full, and honestly, we were just starting to find a rhythm again. Nights were quiet, diapers were a memory, and the laundry pile was almost manageable.

So, yes. Shock. Real, physical, sit-down-before-you-fall-over shock.

But over the next few days, something in me softened. The disbelief did not disappear, but it made room for a different kind of feeling.

I started remembering all the small, sacred things from when our girls were babies. The slow sway of rocking them to sleep. The weight of their tiny heads tucked under my chin. The feeling that the rest of the world could wait—because in that moment, I was their whole world. Those memories came back like old songs I had not heard in a while, and they settled in my chest with a warmth I had not expected.

And now? Now I find myself getting excited. Truly, tenderly, deeply excited.

Fittingly, this baby is due to arrive at Christmas. And the timing does not feel random. It feels… personal. Intentional. Like something only God could orchestrate.

It has made me think a lot about Joseph. The one from Scripture. The carpenter. The man who had plans of his own—plans that were disrupted overnight by news he could not have seen coming. I imagine he asked a lot of the same questions I have asked.

How do I love this child well? Will I have what it takes to provide for this family? What kind of man do I need to become for this child?

Joseph did not get all the answers upfront. But he trusted. He obeyed. He stood by Mary, and he raised a child that changed the world.

And that part—that quiet, steady willingness to lean into the unexpected—that is what gets me.

Because here is what I am learning: some of God’s greatest gifts do not come wrapped in the timing we expect. They show up unannounced, inconvenient, and completely out of sync with our plans.

But that does not make them any less beautiful.

This surprise has reminded me that God’s fingerprints are often clearest on the things we never saw coming. And if I had stayed locked in my fear, I might have missed the joy buried inside this unexpected gift.

It reminds me so much of what scripture says in Proverbs 5, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.”

So, if your life just took a turn you did not plan for—if you are staring down something that makes your knees weak—do not rush to fix it. Do not run from it. Lean in. Let it sit with you long enough for the joy to rise.

You never know what goodness God has tucked inside the surprise.

— Chris Tomlin

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

What unexpected turn has God allowed in your life that you’re still trying to understand?
Where are you tempted to lean on your own understanding instead of trusting God fully?
How has God shown His faithfulness to you in past situations you didn’t plan for?
What might it look like to acknowledge God in this current season—even without clarity?
Is there a hidden joy or gift you might discover if you released fear and leaned into trust?

December 20, 2025/by Linda Meyers

Tiny Gifts, Big Riches

Daily Devotional, David Hall

Colossians 3:16 — Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.

I remember the story Penny shared about a Christmas when money was scarce, and she had three daughters counting on her. She prayed openly, asking God for a way to make the morning feel like a celebration, even if the gifts were small.

Her solution was simple but perfect. Instead of gifts, she spent less than fifty dollars on little trinkets, wrapped them, and hid them throughout the house. She wrote clues on index cards and turned her home into a treasure hunt.

On Christmas morning, she handed the first clue to her daughters. The house erupted with sound. Feet hit floors. Voices bounced off walls. Each small treasure found became a prize. Each discovery turned into a shared favorite memory.

Penny watched her daughters and realized that joy can arrive in small packages. Laughter and excitement filled the holes in their family’s hearts that riches could not reach.

Later, Penny reflected on the lessons those lean years taught her daughters and herself — lessons that stayed with them long after the gifts were gone:

Creativity blooms when the cupboards are bare.
Laughter carries farther than money ever could.
Giving does not have to cost anything; it can be time or a kind act.
Family presence outweighs possessions.
Discontentment shrinks as appreciation grows.
Hard times teach lessons that last a lifetime.

Toward the end of the story, she shared a verse with me, the one she had read to her girls each Christmas: Colossians 3:16. “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” That moment tied everything together.

It reminded her—and me—that they were never poor. Not then. Not now. Every Advent season, I return to that line. If the Word dwells in us, if gratitude fills our homes, and if He is already here celebrating with us, who among us could ever not call ourselves rich?

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

When have you experienced joy that didn’t depend on money or material things? What made that moment meaningful?
Colossians 3:16 speaks of letting Christ’s message “dwell richly” in us. What fills your home most often during this season — stress, comparison, or gratitude?
How might creativity and thankfulness grow when circumstances feel limited?
What simple traditions or shared moments have shaped your faith more than gifts ever could?
In what ways might God be reminding you this season that you are already rich in what matters most?

December 19, 2025/by David Hall

Joy That Survives the Fall

Daily Devotional, Sarah Hall

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 – Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

I climbed the snowy hill with more curiosity than confidence. Sitting on the slick rubber tube, I shifted slightly to see how it would respond beneath me. The snow crunched under my boots, and the cold nipped at my fingers as I adjusted my grip.

My hair whipped across my face, tangling against the wind. My friends lingered behind, part cheerleaders, part mischief-makers.

Then came the shove that sent me sliding.

For a moment, it felt amazing. The tube glided over the packed snow, carrying me faster and faster. My laugh burst out before I could catch it. The hill seemed bigger than all my problems as if the world transformed just for me. Every worry felt distant like the slope itself had stripped them away.

Then the bump came.

A hidden root flipped the tube, and suddenly I was rolling, arms and legs flailing, snow filling every pocket of my jacket. When I finally stopped, I lay on my back, gasping, and laughing at myself. My friends arrived, faces concerned. I waved them off. I was fine. I was more than fine—I felt alive in a way that smooth rides never achieve.

Later, as I rubbed snow from my coat and shook my boots, I thought about how important it is to feel joy like that. I thought about that verse that says, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Those words had always meant something to me, but now they felt alive.

Joy is not the smooth ride. It is what endures the tumbles, what stays when the unexpected spins you around. Gratitude is a choice, and laughter is proof it can stick, even in the mess.

So when the next surprise comes—and it will—don’t let the fall write the story. No, let God do it. Keep riding and keep trusting that the One who steadies you will never let you go.

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

When life feels unpredictable or messy, how easy is it for you to hold on to joy? What helps you return to it?
Which part of this verse is hardest for you right now — rejoicing, praying continually, or giving thanks? Why?
How have unexpected “tumbles” in your life shaped your faith rather than diminished it?
What would it look like to choose gratitude even when circumstances aren’t smooth or comfortable?
How might trusting God with the ride — not just the outcome — change the way you face what’s ahead?

December 18, 2025/by Sarah Hall