The Only Thing Left Standing

Because He bends down and listens, I will pray as long as I breathe! PSALM 116:2 TLB 

Have you ever bent down to listen to a child? There’s something simple and beautiful about it. It lets them know you’re truly hearing what they say. It makes them feel special. It gives them a sense of value and importance. They know you’re taking the time to focus on them. Isn’t it amazing to know God does that every time we speak to Him? What a simple gesture that carries a powerful message. 

God listens. Every breath we take is one He gives with purpose and love. We’re valued and we’re important to Him. His focus is on us because the light of His love is in us, and it’s what the world needs to become a brighter, better, more beautiful place. God made it simple. We’re the complicators! If we pare down our lives to what matters most, what we can’t live without, and what God created us for, love is the only thing left standing. “Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love” (I Corinthians 13:13 The Message). 

How can we make today all about love? Can we be better listeners? Can we spread a little hope through a smile, an encouraging word, a handwritten note, or a quick text? If we’re having a day where we simply need rest and direction, God is bending down to listen to us. If we’re the ones who need to feel loved, God is reaching out to hold us. He never asks us to give away what He doesn’t give to us in abundance. Love is who He is, and we are first His. 

Dear God, My heart is thankful for Your heart—the heart of a Father. Knowing I’m perfectly loved makes me a brighter light in the world, created to shine with the beauty of You. 

This is an excerpt from The Campfire is Calling: 90 Warming Devotions for the Simple Life – a devotional now available on DaySpring.com. Shop all books, journals, and devotions from DaySpring here.