snow storms

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.
—Isaiah 43:2 (NIV)
 
This weekend, the Midwest braced itself for a severe winter storm. Forecasts warned us to prepare—stock up, stay home, be ready for power outages and dangerous roads. And so we did. We planned, we waited, and then we lived right in the middle of it.
What struck me wasn’t just the storm itself, but how familiar that feeling is.
So much of life is lived in the middle.
Not before the storm, when everything feels chaotic.
Not after the storm, when the skies clear and relief sets in.
But right there—when the wind is still howling and the outcome isn’t yet clear.
Isaiah doesn’t say if you pass through the waters. He says when. Storms—literal and figurative—are part of the journey. But the promise isn’t that we’ll avoid them. The promise is presence.
“When you pass through… I will be with you.”
Faith in the middle doesn’t mean pretending we aren’t afraid or acting like everything is fine. It means choosing to trust that God is present even when things feel unsettled. It means holding on when the storm hasn’t ended yet and believing that His grip on us is steady—even when ours feels weak.
If you’re in the middle today—of uncertainty, grief, change, or waiting—know this: you are not abandoned there. God is not waiting for the storm to pass before He shows up. He is with you during.
 
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Daily Inspiration from the Bible 

perspective

 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
— Proverbs 3:5 (NIV)
 
We live with full schedules, full minds, and full hearts—sometimes so full that there’s little room left to notice what God is quietly doing around us. Worry crowds out wonder. Hurry dulls our awareness. And before we know it, we’ve moved through an entire day without truly seeing the goodness placed along our path.
God is not hiding His gifts from us. He is inviting us to slow down enough to recognize them.
Recently, I was reminded of this while helping my granddaughter learn to sew. Last Christmas, she received a sewing machine. This year, her great-grandma gave her a pattern and fabric, and I offered to help her learn the basics.
What I failed to remember was that I haven’t used a pattern in years—and that both of us have very little patience. Things weren’t going smoothly. It wasn’t going fast enough for her. I was frustrated. And what we ended up with looked nothing like the picture on the pattern.
Then her mom—who doesn’t even sew—took a look and immediately saw what we had missed. She knew how to fix it. With a few simple adjustments, the project came together. That night, our granddaughter happily went to bed wearing the warm pajama pants she had made.
That’s why Scripture so often speaks about our eyes—spiritual eyes that need opening, hearts that need softening, minds that need refocusing. Seeing God’s goodness isn’t about trying harder; it’s about trusting Him beyond our own understanding and allowing Him to show us what we’re missing.
When we invite God to open our eyes, the ordinary becomes meaningful again. The small moments regain their weight. And joy—quiet, steady joy—finds room to grow.
Today, when things don’t look the way you expected, pause and ask God to help you see beyond your own understanding. He is often working things together in ways we don’t recognize until the end result is revealed.
 
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Daily Inspiration from the Bible

little things

 
Whatever is good and perfect comes to us from God. He is the One Who made all light. He does not change. No shadow is made by His turning.
- James 1:17(NLV)
 
Some of the sweetest moments of joy aren’t loud or dramatic. They’re quiet. Simple. Easy to overlook if we’re not paying attention.
It’s the first sip of coffee in the morning. A song on the radio that feels like it was meant just for you.
A shared laugh. A memory that makes you smile instead of ache.
Not long ago, we were driving home from Iowa after spending Christmas with family. Three cars were traveling together, using walkie-talkies so we could talk along the way. As the sun began to set, I looked out the window and noticed a tiny cloud shaped like a dinosaur. Our grandson loves dinosaurs, so I radioed back to tell everyone.
Suddenly, all three cars were watching the sky—smiling, laughing, sharing joy over something so small and fleeting. A simple cloud. A shared moment. A gift we might have missed if we hadn’t been paying attention.
These small joys are gentle reminders that God is present in the everyday moments of our lives.
God doesn’t only meet us in the big, life-altering events.
He meets us in the ordinary—in routines, in relationships, in moments of peace that slip in between the chaos.
Those moments are gifts, intentionally placed along our path.
When we slow down enough to notice them, gratitude grows naturally. Joy feels lighter. Faith feels steadier.
And we begin to see just how generously God cares for us, even in the smallest details.
Today, pause and notice one simple gift from God. It doesn’t have to be grand. Often, the smallest joys are the ones that remind us most clearly that He is near.
 
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Daily Inspiration from the Bible

joy

 

Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.
- Nehemiah 8:10b (NIV)
 
Yes, life is hard and temptation is real.
But God.
God carries me through it all, and that itself is reason to rejoice.
Joy doesn’t always look like laughter or constant happiness. Sometimes joy is quieter than that. Sometimes it’s the deep realization, years later, that you made it through something that could have broken you. (song reference - it's been a while!  check out CAIN's 2025 hit "I Made It".) It’s recognizing that even when you didn’t have all the answers—or even make all the right choices—God never stopped holding you.
The joy of the Lord is not dependent on perfect circumstances. It isn’t rooted in an easy life or a pain-free story. True joy comes from knowing that God has been faithful through every season—through loss, confusion, growth, and healing.
There are moments when we look back and think, That could have gone so differently. And yet, here we are. Still standing. Still loved. Still guided by a God who knew exactly what He was doing, even when we couldn’t see it.
That kind of joy strengthens us. It steadies us. It reminds us that no matter what today holds, we are not facing it alone. The same God who carried us then is carrying us now.
So today, let’s choose joy—not because life is perfect, but because God is faithful. And that is more than enough.
 
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Daily Inspiration from the Bible

a way through

 
The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, He will show you a way out so that you can endure.
- 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NLT)
 
Some days, life feels like it’s pressing in from every direction. The temptation to give up, to react in anger, to lose hope, or to numb the pain can feel overwhelming. And in those moments, it’s easy to believe that what we’re facing is somehow unique—that no one else could possibly understand.
Forty-one years ago today, my dad passed away. Losing a parent is hard at any age, but losing a father at fifteen—right in the middle of those formative years—was especially difficult. That steady presence, that guidance, was suddenly gone. My brother, who was nine years older than me, stepped in and did his best to help raise me, and I will always be grateful for that. Still, I didn’t always make the best decisions.
As a teenager growing up in the 1980s, temptation seemed to be everywhere. There were so many moments where things could have gone very differently for me. Looking back now, I can clearly see how easily one choice, one reaction, or one wrong turn could have changed the entire course of my life.
But God gently reminds us that we are not alone. Our struggles are common. They’re part of living in a broken world. And while that doesn’t make them easy, it does mean we’re not alone in them.
More importantly, we are reminded of something solid and unchanging: God is faithful. He sees the pressure we’re under. He knows our limits—even when we don’t. And He promises that He will never leave us trapped or without hope.
Sometimes the “way out” isn’t a dramatic escape. Sometimes it’s strength to endure one more moment, wisdom to pause before reacting, or peace that settles our hearts just enough to keep going. The victory may not look like avoiding the struggle, but walking through it with God’s help.
Today, if you feel stretched thin or tempted to quit, take heart. God has not abandoned you here. He is already making a way—often quietly, often patiently—right where you are.
 
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Daily Inspiration from the Bible

unseen

 
For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.
- 1 Samuel 16:7b (NKJV)
 
Growing up, I was very sheltered. I didn’t have many friends, and I never quite fit in with the popular group in high school. That feeling didn’t magically disappear with adulthood. Even in the workplace, I found myself trying to be the “popular girl,” striving to be liked, accepted, wanted.
I once had a manager tell me, “Not everyone has to like you. Not everyone wants to be your friend.”
Those words cut deeper than I expected.
And if I’m honest, I still struggle there. For whatever reason, I still want to be loved, to feel loved, to be wanted and needed. That ache hasn’t fully gone away.
The Bible tells us about a woman who knew that ache well—Leah.
Leah was overlooked. She was the second choice. She was the one who felt unseen, unwanted, and quietly endured life in the background. Leah’s entire life was measured by comparison. Rachel was chosen by appearance. Rachel was loved openly, celebrated easily, admired without effort. Leah lived in the shadow of that comparison, knowing she was not the one Jacob wanted.
Yet Leah was chosen by God’s purposes.
Her story reminds us that God’s favor is not measured by human affection. His plans are not hindered by our wounds. And being seen by God matters more than being chosen by people.
I think that’s why Leah’s story still reaches so deeply into our hearts—because so many of us know what it feels like to live on the outside of the “in” crowd. Leah teaches us that this longing doesn’t disqualify us. It doesn’t sideline us from God’s work. It doesn’t make us less valuable. While people measure worth by appearance, popularity, or approval, God looks straight at the heart—and He chooses differently.
Leah may not have been chosen by people, but she was seen by God.
And that made all the difference.
 
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Daily Inspiration from the Bible
 

choices

 

And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. 7 Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.
- Colossians 2:6–7 (NLT)
 
Depth doesn’t happen by accident. It’s a daily choice—one we make in small, ordinary moments. Just as we received Christ, we are invited to continue walking with Him, letting our roots grow deep and allowing our lives to be built on Him.
Even Jesus, in the midst of crowds, needs, and constant demands, intentionally broke away from the busyness to spend quiet moments with His Father. If He needed those times of stillness, how much more do we? We cannot experience God fully if we remain in the shallows, skimming the surface of faith. It is in the depths—away from the noise—where we are strengthened, renewed, and reminded of who we belong to.
As this week comes to a close, may we resist the pull of hurry and distraction and choose depth instead. A heart rooted in Christ does not drift. It grows strong, steady, and alive—built on Him and strengthened by grace.
 
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Daily Inspiration from the Bible