given

 
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
- 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NIV)
 
One of the most challenging parts of yesterday’s message (John 3:16) for me was this simple truth:
love naturally wants to give… but humans naturally want to receive.
If we’re being honest, selfishness comes pretty easy to all of us. We want to be noticed and appreciated. We want to be loved, understood, valued, and affirmed. None of that is wrong—but Christmas reminds us that real love always moves outward, not inward.
“Love is patient, love is kind…”
We hear these verses at weddings all the time. They sound beautiful. But in church this week, the pastor challenged us to read this passage a little differently—by replacing the word "love" with "Jesus".
Jesus is patient.
Jesus is kind.
Jesus does not envy.
Jesus is not easily angered.
Jesus keeps no record of wrongs.
Every single line fits Him perfectly.
Then came the harder challenge… to replace the word love with your own name.
Oof.
How accurate was that for you?
Because if we call ourselves Christians—if we truly mean “Christ-like”—then His love becomes the standard we are training for.
And I loved this distinction:
“I’m not trying… I’m training.”
Trying leaves room for quitting.
Training requires repetition, discipline, and intentional effort over time.
We don’t accidentally become more loving.
We don’t naturally default to kindness.
We don’t drift into patience.
We train for it.
And that training almost always shows up in the way we give:
Giving grace instead of snapping back
Giving time instead of excuses
Giving forgiveness instead of bitterness
Giving encouragement instead of criticism
Every time we choose to give instead of take, we look a little more like Jesus.
Christmas itself is proof of this truth. God didn’t seek something from us—He gave something to us. Love didn’t come demanding… it came offering.
 
#dailybreadbykitty
Daily Inspiration from the Bible

unearned

 
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
- John 3:16 (NIV)
 
This week, I attended a new church, and the sermon touched me so deeply that I wanted to carry part of it into this week’s “daily bread” as we continue in this Christmas season, so here we go!
Have you ever noticed how deeply wired we are to earn things?
We earn paychecks, trust, respect.
We even feel like we have to earn love.
From a young age, we are taught that good behavior gets rewarded and bad behavior gets consequences. That thinking sneaks its way into our relationship with God, too—sometimes without us even realizing it. We start to believe that if we “do enough,” if we pray more, read more, mess up less… then God will love us more.
But Christmas tells a completely different story.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son…”
Because God loved, God gave.
There is nothing in that verse that says we deserved it or that we earned it.
Nothing that says we worked our way into His love.
He loved first. And He gave because of that love.
In church, the pastor described God’s love like a wave pool, not an endless pool. An endless pool requires constant effort—constant swimming just to stay in place. But a wave pool? You can rest and still be carried. God’s love doesn’t require you to keep fighting to stay afloat. It comes to you. Again and again. Steady. Constant.
And here’s the part that really gets me…
God loves you the same whether you feel like a “perfect Christian” or a total hot mess. His love does not rise and fall with your performance. It doesn’t fluctuate with your bad days, your doubts, your mess-ups, or your fears.
Jesus is the visible picture of God’s invisible love.
The manger was love wrapped in flesh.
The cross was love poured out completely.
You don’t have to earn that.
You just have to receive it.
And that, honestly, might be one of the hardest things we ever do.
 
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Daily Inspiration from the Bible

 

still thankful

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
- Colossians 3:17 (NIV)
 
November is set aside as the month for giving thanks… but thankfulness should not stop in November.
In the past, many of my Facebook friends (myself included) have participated in the tradition of “30 Days of Thankful,” where you post one thing every day for the entire month of November that you are specifically thankful for. It’s always pretty cool to see what people share.
Over the years, during Thanksgiving dinners at my house, we’ve gone around the table and said what we were thankful for—sometimes even putting a twist on it by going through the alphabet. (And let me just say… how many things are you grateful for that start with the letter X?!)
All in all, we should be thankful every day.
For everything.
And we should give thanks to God for each and every possible thing in our lives—no matter how big or how small.
I once saw a sign that said, “What if we woke up today with only the things we thanked God for yesterday?”
That one stopped me in my tracks.
Thankfulness has a way of shifting our perspective. It reminds us that even in the middle of busy schedules, financial stress, grief, exhaustion, and uncertainty—God is still moving, still providing, still faithful. Some days gratitude flows easily. Other days, we have to look a little harder for it. But when we choose gratitude, it softens our hearts and steadies our spirits.
I am thankful for so much.
And today, I am especially thankful for the words God gives me to share with others in this space—whether you are reading this through email or on my blog. You are part of my gratitude story.
Let thankfulness be something that carries us through December, through Christmas, and into every season that follows.
 
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Daily Inspiration from the Bible

more than wrapped packages

 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.

- 2 Corinthians 9:7 (NKJV)
 
Do you remember the best gift that you ever received?
If you ask a child, they might tell you the latest gift that every kid wants.
If you ask a teenager, they might talk about the hottest new phone.
If you ask a young adult, they might mention a car or a job.
If you ask a middle-aged person, they might say their family.
If you ask an elderly person, you might hear about how blessed they were throughout their lifetime.
It’s funny how that answer changes as we grow, isn’t it?
The best gift any one of us has ever received, though, is Jesus.
We spend so much time this season thinking about gifts—buying them, wrapping them, worrying if they’re enough, wondering if we chose the “right” thing. But the greatest gift was never meant to fit inside a box. God didn’t just give us something… He gave us Himself.
And because He gave so freely, we are invited to give the same way. Not out of pressure. Not out of obligation. But out of joy. Out of love. Out of gratitude.
Sometimes our most meaningful gifts won’t be found under the tree. They will be found in our kindness, our generosity, our forgiveness, our time, and our compassion. When we give from the heart, we reflect the heart of the Giver.
 
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Daily Inspiration from the Bible

a season of patience?

 

Be glad for all God is planning for you. Be patient in trouble, and prayerful always.
- Romans 12:12 (TLB)
 
If I’m being honest, I have zero patience for just about anything. Add in packed stores, packed schedules, constant noise, and endless decision-making—and my emotions run on high. That combination leads to a lot of tears… and more than a few breakdowns.
And layered on top of all of that, today marks four years since my mom passed away. Sometimes it isn’t the big moments that knock the wind out of me—it’s the tiniest memory. A smell. A song. A random thought. And suddenly, out of nowhere, a flood of sadness hits with no warning.
This season calls us to patience, but patience doesn’t mean we don’t feel deeply. It means we bring those feelings to God instead of letting them crush us. Scripture doesn’t say, “Rejoice because everything is easy.” It says to rejoice in hope, to be patient in tribulation, and to stay steadfast in prayer.
That tells me God already knows this season is hard sometimes. He knows grief doesn’t take a holiday. He knows the chaos feels overwhelming. And He invites us—not to fake being okay—but to stay connected to Him through it all.
God knows how heavy this season can feel, not just for me, but for a lot of people. We have to ask Him for patience when emotions run high, comfort when grief sneaks in, and peace in the middle of the chaos. Maybe patience this season looks like giving ourselves permission to pause. To breathe. To cry. To pray. To remember. And to trust that God is still holding all the tender pieces of our hearts.
 
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Daily Inspiration from the Bible

 

preparing for the hoildays

 
Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
- Luke 1:38 (NKJV)
 
We are definitely in full preparation mode this time of year. We might go a little crazy decorating—the inflatables alone are kind of over the top with a 20-foot snowman, a 20-foot Santa, a 10-foot Christmas tree, a talking, singing, joke-telling snowman head, and lights all over the house. It’s a lot… and I love it.
But if no other decorations go up, there are two things that will always find a place: my willow tree in memory of my dad, and the nativity scene.
Those two things say everything about what this season really means to me—remembrance and Jesus.
Mary’s words in this verse always stop me in my tracks: “Let it be to me according to Your word.” She didn’t have a perfectly decorated home or a neatly wrapped plan. What she had was a willing heart. A heart that said yes to God even when the future looked uncertain and overwhelming.
We can prepare every inch of our homes and still forget to prepare our hearts. We can hang the lights, wrap the gifts, fill the calendar—and still miss making room for peace, humility, surrender, and worship.
Let's stop and ask God to help us prepare our hearts for Him above everything else this season. Let our "yes" be genuine, our focus be right, and our hearts be ready. What if our greatest preparation this season isn’t what goes on the outside of our homes… but what we allow God to do on the inside of our hearts?
 
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Daily Inspiration from the Bible

waiting with expectation

For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
- Isaiah 9:6 (NKJV)
 
There is something about this season of waiting that feels different than any other kind of waiting. We wait for packages to arrive, for travel plans to fall into place, for family to gather—but Advent reminds us that God’s people waited for something far greater. They waited for a Savior.
I think about how impatient I can be with the everyday stuff. Traffic lights feel too slow, checkout lines feel too long, and unanswered prayers feel unbearable at times. And yet, God works beautifully in the waiting. The world waited centuries for Jesus, and God’s timing was perfect.
Advent isn’t just about counting down to Christmas—it’s about training our hearts to wait with hope instead of frustration. Let's pray daily asking God to help us slow down and trust Him in the waiting. We need Him to teach us to wait with hope, not impatience. If God kept His promise then, He will keep His promise now.
 
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Daily Inspiration from the Bible