“Dear Lord, You know my pain, You know how desperate I am for You to heal me. I ask You to help me and teach me to wait on You. I know your timing is perfect and I will wait on You to do your miracle in me.” This was my son’s prayer one night as he faced a chronic illness two years ago. I was humbled by that prayer. Tears ran down my face,

In our fast-paced, ever-changing world, I sense a hunger for steadfastness. A quiet strength. Assurance. Not smug. Not stubborn. But solid. This is only possible if we allow ourselves to be connected to Jesus, receiving from Him all that we need.

I heard the sounds of “ouv ou” three times. I quickly turned to smile at his mommy who concurred that he was saying “I love you”. Now it may appear that this Nana wanted to hear those words, and I did indeed. If you are a grandparent you understand. But we are convinced that the message his young mind and heart was conveying was love and admiration through “ouv ou” – “I love you”! Words he has heard often.

A few years back, I wrote these words while experiencing an afternoon of solitude and silence with the Lord: “Stop looking down, in, up. Start looking forward, at.” I was convicted by my tendency to avert my gaze from others. I confessed my preference to deliberately look away, be self-absorbed, or even at times to look to God to avoid looking at others. God’s word to me was very clear: “Look at people. Notice their circumstances. Consider what I may want to do for them through you.”