Whether it’s a dream that isn’t coming true, a stretch of the journey that feels especially dark, or just the basic “busy and tired” each of us braves in the crazy chaos of the ordinary, have you ever faced a season where “life to the full” feels just out of reach, light seems like it it’s just over the horizon, or lies seem to crowd out the truth?
Every January, many of us proclaim our word for the year, choosing something inspiring that will help us set our intention for the coming months. But what would happen if rather than choosing one word for an entire year (because let’s face it, some of us forget by March), we focused on one good word each day―one thought-provoking, spiritually relevant, and encouraging word that reveals the many lovely and delightful truths of who Jesus is in our lives?
Our hearts and the hearts of others are so important. God wants our whole hearts, but so does the enemy. That is why it is essential we identify and stay in tune with the lies we may be believing and replace them with God’s truth.
At the end of the day, can one person really make any impact at all? When the world’s problems loom large and your ordinary life stretches you thin, it is still possible to be a difference-maker–one small, intentional, extravagant act of kindness at a time.
When it comes to disagreement, we are in perpetual fight-or-flight mode. Rather than respond with a posture of compassion and connection, we are encouraged to “resist” others. Either we engage in fruitless arguments with people who refuse to see things our way or we retreat to our echo chambers where everyone agrees with us. But the real resistance, the kind that helps us grow, is learning to love others–especially those who disagree with us.