Let the Word Unpack Its Suitcase

From Amy Grace’s opening letter

I started groups, led groups, volunteered and organized everything. People kept asking for more, and I kept saying yes until the joy ran out and resentment moved in. Some of my closest friendships cracked. Some of the reasons I’ll never know.

I found God at a fruit stand in Zimbabwe, pantomiming and laughing with a vendor who didn’t speak my language. I walked away with a mystery fruit that turned out to be a giant avocado. At a village wedding in Mozambique, strangers shared their food, joy and celebration. Nobody asked me to earn it.

I had spent years auditioning for a seat at a table God had already set. That's part of the story behind these ninety days.

Let the word move in

Colossians 3:12–17 describes a community learning how to live together: compassion, patience, forgiveness, love. The message of Christ is to dwell among them, with teaching, singing, and gratitude.

The welcome in those scenes brings this passage close to ordinary life. A welcome can be offered before someone has proved useful. Words about love can find expression in a shared meal, a patient answer, or a place made for a stranger.

What is finding a home?

You may have verses on the mirror by now. Let one of them interrupt a conversation. Listen before defending yourself. Apologize without adding a countercharge. Thank someone whose quiet work makes your week possible.

Choose one response from the passage to practice with another person. Then ask what it was like to give or receive it. Truth has a way of becoming more memorable when there is a real conversation attached.