Rooted in Love

I love checking boxes. Sometimes I’ll even write “drink coffee” on my to-do list—just so I can check it off. Because no matter how chaotic the day gets, I never forget my coffee… even if I have to reheat it three times.

Growing up in church, I thought following Jesus worked the same way. A good Christian girl had a good Christian to-do list.
Read your Bible. Pray before meals. Pray before bed. Go to church. Serve. Be kind. Don’t mess up.
Check. Check. Check.

And obedience was the goal.
There was grace, of course—but there was also this quiet fear underneath it all.
What if I failed?
Would God still love me then?

In Matthew, Jesus is tempted in the wilderness. He’s exhausted, hungry, and weak—and that’s when Satan shows up. And the most striking temptation isn’t about power or fame. It’s about avoidance.
“You can have everything,” Satan says, “without the cross.”

Comfort without suffering.
Glory without sacrifice.
A kingdom without pain.

Jesus knew exactly what the cross would cost Him. He wasn’t ignorant of the fear or the suffering ahead. And still—He chose the cross. Not because He had to. Not out of fear. But out of love.

Jesus obeyed all the way to death on a cross—not to earn God’s favor, but because of His affection for us.
So we would never have to wonder if failure disqualifies us from love.

My to-do list looks different now.

I read my Bible because I want to know Him.
I pray because I want to talk to Him.
I go to church because I love His people.
I serve because I’ve been loved first.

I’m not checking boxes anymore.
I’m responding to grace.

That's my focus this month, Love and Grace.

It is all intertwined and all about giving in and giving up and holding the tension of it all.

May your February check off all the boxes you desire and may you lean into grace above all, remembering that though we may struggle or stumble, God’s love is perfect and never fails.