Tag: hope

Soften The Heart #33 : Children Are a Gift — Even When Our Childhood Didn’t Feel Like One

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“Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from Him.”

Psalm 127:3

Children are one of the clearest pictures of God’s heart. Their curiosity, honesty, wonder, and purity remind us of what truly matters. Scripture tells us that children are a gift — not because of what they do, but because of who they are: reflections of God’s creativity and love.

As parents, this verse reminds us to slow down and cherish our kids, to remember that they’re not burdens or interruptions but blessings entrusted to us. They bring joy, purpose, and a fresh view of the world.

But for many adults, this verse can stir something deeper.

Not everyone grew up feeling protected, valued, or cherished. Some people carry wounds from a childhood where they were mistreated, overlooked, or harmed. And hearing “children are a gift” can feel confusing — even painful.

So if that’s you, here’s something important to know:

**God’s intention for children was always good.

Your pain was never His plan.**

When the Bible calls children a gift, it is describing how God sees them — not how every human treats them. Some adults act out of their own brokenness, and their choices leave deep marks on innocent hearts. But your mistreatment was never a reflection of your worth. You were always precious. You were always a gift. Someone else simply failed to honor what God created.

And God grieves with you.

He is “close to the brokenhearted” (Psalm 34:18) and fiercely protective of the vulnerable. Jesus Himself said it would be better for a person to be thrown into the sea than to harm a child (Matthew 18:6). That means He saw you. He cared. He never agreed with what was done to you.

The good news?

God restores what was wounded.

He heals the childhood parts of us that were hurt, silenced, or forgotten. And He gently rebuilds what was broken — identity, trust, safety, and hope.

So whether you grew up cherished or neglected, this verse has a message for you:

Cherish the children in your life today — including the child you once were.

Let today be a reminder to love your kids with intention and tenderness…

but also to let God love and restore the parts of you that didn’t receive that same tenderness growing up.

Children are a gift.

And that includes you — the child you used to be, and the person you are becoming.

Soften The Heart: Devotional #32 — He Will Never Leave You

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“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified… for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Deuteronomy 31:6

I feel like at a very young age, I always leaned into God. Even when life didn’t make sense, I somehow knew I was loved. Not just loved by people—but by God. It was a quiet knowing that I was held, seen, and cared for, even in moments where nothing around me felt steady.

But as I got older and life began to unfold in more complicated ways, abandonment became a deep and painful thread in my story. The kind of wound that doesn’t leave a scar you can see, but one you carry in your heart.

I experienced the “primal wound” of being separated from my biological parents. My parents divorced when I was eight, and I think most of us kids felt like second picks to their new spouses. Then, when I was seventeen—my senior year of high school—my mom moved out of our home to follow her husband’s job transfer. She wanted me to come, but I didn’t. I couldn’t. It felt like she chose him over me, and the message I internalized was: You’re not worth staying for.

I moved in with my dad and stepmom. And then, after high school, my dad—“in the nicest way”—told me it was time to move out. He helped me get set up with school and paid for my apartment, which I’m thankful for. But the emotional part of it still hurt. Deeply.

As I became a mother myself, I found that old wounds resurfaced in new ways. I couldn’t understand how some of the choices my parents made were even possible once I knew the depth of love I had for my own kids.

These layered experiences of being left or feeling replaceable shaped my thoughts in relationships. When someone got close, I would think, It’s just a matter of time before they leave… or choose someone over me.

But even in all that pain—even when I questioned people—I kept leaning on God. I kept coming back to His promises. His love. His Word.

Deuteronomy 31:6 says He will never leave you nor forsake you. And I believe that. It’s the one relationship in my life that has never felt conditional. I trust God in a way I struggle to trust others, because He has never walked away. He has never picked someone else over me. He doesn’t move on or get tired or lose interest.

So I return to Him. Again and again. Not because I’m perfect—but because I know He is.

If you’ve ever felt left behind, replaced, or like you had to earn your place in someone’s life… please know this:

God doesn’t leave. He walks with you through every ache, every misunderstanding, every broken piece. And He whispers, “You are mine. You are loved. I will never let go.”

Soften The Heart: Devotional #31

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“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

Hebrews 11:6 

My poor Bible has been pretty lonely. I haven’t been actively reading it. I’ve been spending time with God in nature and in meditation but I haven’t been studying his word. Which I think it’s just as important.

So today I was flipping the pages of my Bible looking for inspiration today…

and I came across this verse I had highlighted. Hebrews 11:16.

And there’s a word in that verse that stands out, believe.

It’s a reminder that trust is crucial.

Faith is kind of like the wind. We can’t always see it but we feel it. It moves through the trees, brushes our skin, and reminds us:

“I’m here.”

I do believe God is like that. All around us. Reminding us and encouraging us of His presence.

Something greater. Something powerful. Something all-knowing. Something here.

And though I don’t fully understand all of it…I do believe this greater power truly loves us.

But like any relationship, it takes two. We want God to constantly reach out and prove Himself…

Yet we don’t always seek.

Seek God.

Let the veil be lifted.

Open your heart.

Open your eyes.

And maybe you’ll start to feel Him like the wind. Maybe this “foreign language” will begin to make sense.

Faith is not about having it all figured out. It’s about having hope.

Keep seeking.

God sees you and is with you.

He rewards those who do.

Soften The Heart: Devotional #29 — A Message of Hope for the Grieving

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This Is Not the End: A Message of Hope for the Grieving

My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”

John 14:2-3

Loss has a way of stopping time. One moment, life is moving forward, full of plans, routines, and expectations. The next, everything changes. A phone call, an accident, a last breath you didn’t realize was the last—and suddenly, the world feels different. Emptier.

When we lose someone unexpectedly, the pain is sharp and disorienting. There’s no time to prepare, no gradual goodbye. Just a void. And in that void, we wrestle with the question that lingers in every grieving heart: Where are they now?

Jesus knew we would ask this. He knew our hearts would ache with longing for those who are no longer with us. And so, He left us with this promise.

This world is not the final destination. Death is not the end of the story.

Jesus is preparing a place. A place where brokenness does not exist, where suffering has no power, where love never fades. A place where those we have lost—those who seemed to slip away too soon—are not truly gone but waiting in a home far greater than this one.

That doesn’t take away the pain of missing them now. It doesn’t erase the ache of their absence. But it does mean that separation is temporary. Love is not lost.

Imagine, just for a moment, that there is more beyond what we can see. That the ones we grieve are not lost in darkness but alive in a way we cannot yet comprehend. That God’s love is big enough to hold them and us, to weave our stories together again in a way more beautiful than we can imagine.

We may not have all the answers. We may not understand why loss comes the way it does. But we can hold onto this:

This is not the end.

There is a place beyond this world, a home beyond this life, and a love that is strong enough to bring us back together again. And one day, when the time is right, we will see them again.

Until then, we carry them in our hearts, and we hold onto hope.

If You’re Grieving, You Are Not Alone

If you’ve experienced a sudden loss, I want you to know that your pain is seen. Your grief is real. But so is hope. Even in the darkness, you are not alone. God is near to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18), and He promises that one day, all things will be made new (Revelation 21:4).

If this message speaks to you, I pray it brings even a small measure of peace. And if you know someone who is struggling with loss, please feel free to share it. You never know whose heart might need this reminder today.

Soften The Heart: Devotional #28

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“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.”

Psalm 19:1-2

Have you ever looked up at the sky and felt something stir deep inside you? Maybe it was the brilliance of a sunrise, painting the world in soft golds and pinks. Maybe it was a night sky so full of stars that it made you feel small, yet somehow seen.

Psalm 19:1-2 tells us that the sky isn’t just beautiful—it’s speaking.

What if creation itself is a message from God? What if every sunrise is a reminder that His mercies are new every morning? What if every sunset whispers, Rest, I am still here?

Too often, we rush through life, missing the ways God is revealing Himself. We glance at the sky but don’t really see it. We hear the wind but don’t listen. We admire nature but don’t recognize it as a message. Yet, this verse reminds us—creation is speaking. God is always speaking.

Are we paying attention?

The next time you step outside, take a moment. Look at the sky. Notice the way the clouds move, the way the sun warms your skin, the way the stars seem to stretch endlessly beyond what you can comprehend.

Let it remind you—God is present. He is vast yet personal, powerful yet gentle, distant yet closer than your own breath.

The sky is speaking.

Are you listening?

Be Like A Child

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Life knocks you down. Life knocks you down hard. If we let it, life can harden our hearts, making us cynical and negative. Worry and doubt become our closest companions. We lose touch with the child within—the one who is resilient, carefree, and eager to embrace life’s joys.

Yes, life is full of pain, but it’s also filled with miracles. As we become more aware of life’s tragedies, anxiety often takes root, stealing the laughter from our days. Fear becomes a shadow over our joy.

Be like a child. Seek joy, even when life brings you to your knees. Let yourself find wonder, even in the smallest things, and keep the spirit of resilience alive within you.

Remember, in each day, there are small moments of beauty and magic waiting to be found. Embrace them, and let them soften your heart.

Soften The Heart: Devotional #20

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“For the Lord is a sun and shield;

The Lord will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold

From those who walk uprightly.

O Lord of hosts, Blessed is the man who trusts in You!”

Psalm 84: 11-12

Do you ever think about what would happen if the sun were to just disappear, vanish, be gone!

Have you ever asked yourself what really does the sun provide to us? What’s it’s purpose and how do we, and life benefit from it?

Well, one thing for certain without the sun we wouldn’t even be able to exist and earth would completely freeze over if the sun were to disappear. Life would very well come to an end.

The sun is essential to life. Nature knows that but do we? How many of us take our sun for granted and rarely acknowledge it’s importance.

The sun is earths guardian and giver. The same way the Lord, God, is ours.

To trust in our Lord is to trust in God, and those who seek God know that he is essential. He is the provider and giver of our lives. He remains very present and so many of us take our God for granted and do not know of His importance.

May we continue to reach for God the way nature reaches for the sun.

An example of nature reaching for the sun is take a plant inside your home and you will notice that it will always lean and grow towards where the sun is shining. Even if you turn the plant, it will change direction and always follow the sun.

The next time you go outside with the sun shining bright take a moment of gratitude and be reminded that we have our own sun providing, protecting, and giving us life. To each and every one of us.

“For the Lord is a sun and shield”

Amen.

A Word Of Encouragement Goes A Long Way

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Encouragement is defined as, “the action of giving someone support, confidence, or hope.”

Encouraging another human being doesn’t cost a thing but it gives them more than anything. It can be life changing for some!

A small act of encouragement pushes people, gives them strength, reassures them, gives them something to hold onto and maybe even fight for…..especially during challenging and sorrowful times.

Even a smile is an act of encouragement.

Don’t fall into the common trap of belittling yourself and your capabilities. You are power.

You can save lives and you DO save lives. You may not know exactly how, but does that really matter? You influence others more than you know. That’s something to think about.

Who knows what doors you have opened for others.

Know in your heart you make a difference. Pass on the love, pass on the encouragement, pass on the hope. The world needs it.

The world needs you.

– m.g.

Allow God To Catch You When You Fall

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When your child is just learning how to stand or learning how to walk you are either holding them, or standing very close by.

In case your child falls you want to be there to catch them, versus them falling down and hurting themselves.

Nobody wants to see their child hurt or in pain, so we stand very close.

In this walk of life, we are the child and God is our heavenly parent.

But like most children we are very stubborn. We believe we can do things on our own, better yet, WE WANT to do things on our own. Like we need to prove something.

The thing with this mentality is we end up falling many times in life and learn many things the hard way, and it hurts. It hurts really bad. And God is just there waiting, patiently, to help us when we are ready to ask for it.

It’s not that he hasn’t tried to help us, we have pushed Him away saying, “I can do it myself, I don’t need you.” So he watches us fall and thinks to himself, please let me help you.

He knows learning how to walk is challenging and He knows the walk of life can’t be done without the help of Him.

Actually, it’s not that it can’t be done, it can. God just doesn’t want it to be a hard walk of life. He gives us an opportunity to try on our own but he stands by waiting for the permission to help us.

He wants to catch us on those falls because he knows if we keep falling we will be become discouraged and won’t try anymore.

Nobody wants to crawl forever. We want to walk and RUN. When we allow God to catch us we will begin to take more risks, we will be confident, and we won’t be afraid.

When my children were small they would crawl to the edge of the bed only because they knew I would catch them. Imagine if they could talk at that age and say things like, “alright mom, stop, I want to crawl all over the bed myself without you hovering me.” But my children let me be there for them just in case. They felt safe. And they actually enjoyed me catching me.

If you don’t want to let God catch you when you fall that is ultimately your choice, however if you surrender and just let Him help you….your life will change in the most incredible way because you will know that you can do anything.

You can crawl to the edge of the bed with no fear, always.

If, you allow God to catch you when you fall.

– m.g.

Your Ideas Are Smart AND Needed

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I read something awhile back that said,

“what kills dreams more than anything is this thought, ‘what will they think of me…’”.

Someone out there needs and is waiting for your idea, your perspective, your plan, your project , etc., you have to believe that! You are being relied on and you don’t even know it yet. The person out there may not even know it yet. But someone or someone’s is waiting for YOU.

You were born here. That’s miraculous in itself. Now show who you are.

Our voices are so powerful. Our ideas are powerful and can influence change in countless, possibly infinite ways!

The world is your oyster has more meaning with age and experience, but how true this statement is.

Whatever it is don’t give up. Welcome any pushback with open arms and use that to fuel your fire that lingers inside your soul.

Share your ideas with trusted individuals and hear their opinions but don’t take everything to heart. Sometimes the ideas in our heads are so tangled up, and be challenging to articulate to others.

Sometimes unweaving them is only something you can do and MUST do by yourself.

So be patient with yourself. Give yourself grace daily. You know your vision and you can’t let others or yourself hold you back.

What are you waiting for? I’m cheering for you. It doesn’t matter what they think. Seek your reason and the nothing else at all will matter.

– m.g.