You’ve been brave this week. You did something new. You didn’t know if it would pay off but you tried it anyway. You might do it again. You might not. But you stepped out, danced on the wire, confronted fear; you were courageous.

You forgave someone this week. Ya, they were wrong. You had every right to hit back, withhold, pout, and let the stale tension of unresolved hurt simmer. But you didn’t. You swallowed, resolved, and pulled that pot off the stove before it boiled. It was tough, but you did it.

You took the risk to love this week. You opened up. You know you can’t love unless you’re vulnerable yourself. And you did. It may have paid off, it may have blown up, but you risked, and that has its own reward.

You made somebody’s day this week. Maybe on purpose, maybe not. But you brightened a moment, an hour, a day. Ya, it was a hassle. You thought about them when you’ve got plenty on your own plate. You spent what you had. You powered through. You brought it home.

My dear ones, you are soldiers in the service of joy. You are messengers of shining hope. You create, step out, you take on, you show up.

And I am proud. I can’t wait to see what you, and Christ in you, is up to next. 

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Reading
Fail - JR Briggs
Learning to Dream Again - Samuel Wells
We Make the Road by Walking- Brian McLaren