I Just Have to Read It

☕ October 1st, 2026

Good morning, friends. I hope everyone is doing well today. I have to be honest, today is definitely one of those mornings when I would really like to crawl back into bed. I’ve been up since about one o’clock dealing with some side effects from my GLP-1. I won’t go into all the details because, well… nobody needs that much information before their coffee! 😂 But I am taking care of it, and I’m doing what I need to do to make sure it doesn’t happen again. I’m just tired, I’m not feeling my best, and getting up and going to work this morning wasn’t exactly what I wanted to do.

But sometimes you just have to get up and keep moving, even when you don’t feel like it.

Last night’s service was actually such a help to me. We talked about trying to stay positive when there is so much negativity around us and about recognizing that we simply cannot take care of everything. There are things we can do, things we can pray about, things we can work toward, and then there are things that we have to place in God’s hands because they are simply bigger than us.

We talked about being abased and abounding, from Philippians 4. Paul said, “I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound.” That really made me think. There are times when life feels like we have more than enough, and there are other times when we feel like we are running on empty. Yet, as a child of God, I have something that doesn’t change with my circumstances. I have salvation. I have the greatest gift I could ever receive, and honestly, I want more people to know what I have found.

There is still so much to pray for. There are so many people hurting, so many things

happening in the world, and so many things that I wish I could fix. I want to understand what is going to happen. I want to know how things are going to work out. I want to be able to make everything better for the people I care about. But I can’t. And neither can you.

God never promised us that life would be easy. He never promised that everything would go according to our plans or that we would never have difficult days. I know my life isn’t perfect, and I know there will be days when I don’t feel good, days when work is frustrating, days when I’m worried about my family, and days when I simply don’t know what comes next.

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But last night reminded me of something I have been talking about all week: I have to choose where I am going to look.

The brother who taught last night talked about wanting to be positive when there is so much negativity in the world. And I thought, yep… that’s exactly where I’ve been all week. Every morning I start out thinking, Today is going to be a good day. I’m going to stay positive. I’m going to focus on the good. And then something happens, and suddenly I’m frustrated or discouraged or wondering why things have to be so difficult.

It’s easier said than done sometimes.

But maybe the answer isn’t that I need to figure out how to be positive all by myself. Maybe I need to spend more time looking in the right place. Philippians 4 reminded me that God’s Word isn’t something I need only when things are falling apart. It is there to instruct me, encourage me, correct me, and help me every step of the way.

I just have to read it.

That’s really what I walked away with last night. The Bible can’t help guide me if I leave it sitting on the shelf. I can’t expect to remember what God has said if I’m not taking the time to read what He has written. When my mind is overwhelmed with everything happening around me, I need to go back to the Book and let it remind me what is true.

And today, I’m going to try to do just that.

I’ve got some designs I’m working on, and I’m hoping to get some things finished today. I’m not quite sure how much of my regular work I’m going to accomplish after being awake since one, but if I don’t get everything done today, I’ll take care of it tomorrow. It will be okay. Life will go on. I don’t have to accomplish everything in one day.

Maybe that’s another lesson I need to remember.

I don’t have to fix everything today. I don’t have to understand everything today. I don’t even have to feel my best today. I just need to take the next step, keep my eyes on Christ, and remember that I already have the greatest gift I could ever receive.

Paul said it this way in Philippians 4:13:

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” — Philippians 4:13, KJV

So that’s where I’m starting today—with a little less pressure to have everything figured out and a little more willingness to open my Bible, listen, and let God lead me through whatever today brings.

What about you? When life feels overwhelming or the negativity around you starts getting louder than your faith, what Scripture do you find yourself going back to?

Until tomorrow… ☕❤️