By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.

John 13:35

Relationships sustain us. They connect and support us. But sometimes the strength of the ties with family, friends, neighbors, colleagues, and even our spiritual connection with God, becomes strained, tested, or lost. In the immediacy of our lives, witnessing misunderstanding, disappointment, betrayal, illness, and separation — through death or otherwise — can disconnect us from the perceived confidence upon which we once relied. Yet, planted in the disillusion and fear that rush in to fill the void, lies a seed of hope. “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11). So, remember to fill adversarial situations with Christ’s love. Seek true beauty and joy along the sometimes rocky but blossoming path of personal connections.

Elizabeth Cavanaugh
South Pasadena, CA

Dear Lord, please help me discover wonder in every phase of my relationships and send Christ’s love to others, even in disagreement and disconnection. Amen.

Reflect: Remember a time when providing extra kindness to someone helped heal a difficult situation.

Read: Mark 12:30-31 and James 2:24