Blessed Connections

 

2/28/2026

Philippians 2:4 "Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interest of others." 

As I have mentioned before, I am a proper hermit. I can go many weeks happily being at home and not venturing out for any purpose other than attending Church on Sunday. There are many reasons why I have adopted this quiet lifestyle, but I digress. 

This week, the importance of connection was front and center in my world. I will not go into specifics here, but time with others really impacted me in ways I did not expect. There were deep and challenging conversations along with much laughter and even a few tears. The one thing that was very evident to me is that God was in the midst of it all. His presence was so clear that at the end of the week I was drawn into deep reflection and immense gratitude.

Sometimes, going outside our comfort zone is hard, and we avoid the prompting to do so. I know I have many times. However, if we stay obedient to God's call to love and care for one another, the blessing is often immeasurable. I know this has been true for me. It matters little if I am on the giving or receiving end, because in those moments that all gets blurred. God's presence is all that matters, and the shared space we occupy with one another feels anointed. 

So, this committed hermit is once again realizing that I am commanded to be in the world, even if it is not easy. God will supply the strength I lack if I stay obedient to His call on my life. 

John 15:12 "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you."

As always, I am a work in progress. 

Bionic Faith

2/20/2026

John 3:30 "He must increase, I must decrease."

Those of us who are of a certain age will remember the TV shows The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman. Did you also know that there was a made-for-TV movie called Bionic Showdown starring a young Sandra Bullock? But I digress. For those of you who have no point of reference for these shows, I will fill you in. Each character had experienced some kind of horrible and disfiguring accident that left them with devastating disabilities and in critical condition. Luckily for them, a secret organization, the OSI, used these folks as test subjects for bionic experiments to save their lives. They each have super speed and strength, while one has enhanced vision and the other enhanced hearing. The parts of their bodies that were replaced became "better, stronger, faster." They became superhuman in a way. 

I wish my spiritual life could become bionic. I wish all the areas that are broken and damaged in my soul could be replaced with supernatural spiritual strength. Wouldn't it be wonderful if I could open my soul fully for this reconstruction and seek that Holy Spirit transformation in me? God could make me better, stronger, more loving, faithful and obedient. What if all of my damaged areas could be replaced?

Fear with Faith

Worry with Peace

Willfulness with Obedience

Frustration with Patience

Unforgiveness with Grace

Doubt with Faith

Grumbling with Gratitude

Discontentment with Trust

And so on...

God is the Great Physician and could certainly change this brokenness in me, but I am always getting in the way. Oh, me of little faith. 

As always, I am a work in progress. 

The Lollipop

2/10/2026

Hebrews 13:2 "Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people, have sown hospitality to angels without knowing it."

When you leave yourself open to an interaction with a stranger, you never know what will happen. Recently, my son was taking the dog for a short walk. An elderly woman drove up to him and rolled down her window. (Just for clarity, my son is a large 6'2'' man with a full beard, but he must have seemed approachable to her.) He politely stopped because he is a very respectful and kind person. She began to ask him if there was still a school on the road they both currently were on. He said he thought the original school had been converted to affordable senior housing. He was correct in this statement. She told him she had attended the school many years ago. He smiled in recognition. 

What happened next was nothing he could have foreseen. This lady, alone in her car, began to talk to my son about her life and some painful events that had happened to her. One of those things was her children not having any time for her anymore as they moved up the corporate ladder with wealth as their ultimate goal. My son could not conceive of such a thing and felt great empathy for this lady. As she spoke, he listened quietly. He really didn't need to say much as it seemed she just needed a kind ear to hear her heart. He gave her just that. 

When she finished unloading all the hurt, she thanked him and reached into the center console of her car. She pulled out a purple lollipop and handed it to him, saying she had recently gone to the bank and had gotten it there. It was a gesture of gratitude for the kindness he had shown her. 

Sometimes, God does not ask us to do the big thing; sometimes He asks us to just give someone who needs it a moment of our time. He may ask us to be aware and loving enough to stop what we are doing, listen, and share a moment with someone in need. My son did just that, and it not only blessed the lady but also himself.  

He will never know the outcome of this interaction, but I know he is hopeful it gave the woman some hope and peace.

I pray the next time God places a stranger in my path that needs a bit of my time, that I also stop and share a moment with that person. Who knows what blessings we may both experience.