Following Jesus requires stepping out of the driver's seat of your own life. You cannot follow His directions while you are busy steering your own course. When our personal desires, opinions, and comfort are our highest priorities, there is simply no room left to walk in the footsteps of Christ.

Have you ever walked out of a room and wondered what happens after the door closes? It can be a very vulnerable feeling! There is, however, so much peace and hope in knowing you have good, Godly people in your corner.
Worldly friendships are often built around the good times, but true friends are forged for the hard times. A real friend doesn't just celebrate your victories to your face, they defend your character and guard your name when you aren't in the room to do it yourself.
Despair thrives in isolation, but hope grows when you know you aren't fighting your battles alone. Ecclesiastes 4:10 reminds us, "For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up."
Let's challenge ourselves today to be the kind of friends who shut down gossip and speak up for the absent.
Who is in your corner today? Take a second to thank God for them!

"No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us." - 1 John 4:12
Have you ever heard someone ask, "If God is real, where is He when people are hurting?"
It's a heavy question, but the Bible gives us a beautiful, challenging answer: He wants us to be the answer.
1 John 4:12 tells us that no one has ever seen God, but when we love one another, He lives in us. We are very literally called to be His reflection. Think of it like being an ambassador, just like an ambassador represents the tone and message of their home country, we are called to represent Jesus everywhere we go (2 Corinthians 5:20).
Being the "face of God" isn't about pretending to be perfect. It's about bringing real, tangible hope to the hopeless. It's stepping into dark, difficult situations and choosing to be the light (Matthew 5:14). It’s offering a listening ear, helping out a neighbor, or just showing up for someone who feels completely forgotten. When they see our love in action, they experience His.
As you go about your week, ask yourself "When people interact with me, whose face do they see?" Let's choose to be the proof of God's love to someone today!