#GodsLove

No greater love

By Sara | March 1, 2026 | Comments 0 Comment

“Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.” (Proverbs 3:3)

“It’s hard to leave,” David said on the day he stopped by my house on his way back to Florida to begin rebuilding the home of a couple who lost everything after Hurricane Ian in September 2022. I will never forget those words. We had only known each other for a few days at the time, but we had already bonded, as I had with my entire Samaritan’s Purse (SP) team, having spent the previous week serving together for God’s glory.

*David and I (second and third from the right) posed with a homeowner and our Samaritan’s Purse team after serving in Ft Myers, FL (September 2022).*

There was no shortage of help needed for those who had lost everything after this catastrophic Category 4 storm barreled into the state, with 150 mph winds, 10 inches of rain, and a 7.21-foot storm surge. More impactful than the cleanup we provided was the love we shared with those who were feeling hurt and helpless after realizing how much they’d lost in the storm. Our reminder that they were not alone but rather loved by God was precisely the help and hope they needed to press onward into an unknown future.

*David adding new flooring to the Ft Myers home he helped rebuild after Hurricane Ian.*

Following this week of service to share God’s love, David visited me on his way home to Virginia Beach. I chronicled his request to do so in my blog entitled “I’ve been looking for you.”

We had initially planned for David to stop again on his journey back to Florida. I had promised to show him around my coastal town, followed by a homemade dinner together before he continued on his way. I made lasagna for the occasion and had envisioned something significant happening on that day.

Instead, David sent me a text the night before telling me he couldn’t make it. He was finishing a remodeling job back at home, which was taking longer than expected. Despite his apologies, I was incredibly disappointed that we wouldn’t be able to spend any time together.

More than that, I felt like this change of plans was God’s way of protecting me, preventing me from getting too attached to someone I barely knew when I’d spent the last ten years of my life defending my heart from men who were not what they appeared to be. I didn’t want to be involved in another relationship. It was just God and me then – and that’s exactly how I wanted it to be.

Still, I remember the great sense of disappointment that surprised me when I learned my Sunday plans with David weren’t going to happen. I cried my eyes out when I received that message. My response didn’t make sense to me. I was determined not to let my relationship with David be anything more than a Christian friendship – and yet, I was crushed to learn that my first afternoon out in ten years, this one pseudo “date” had gone by the wayside.

And then I thanked God. Surely, I thought, my Heavenly Father prevented me from any further hurt by reminding me to keep my walls up and my expectations down.

Rather than let David know of my disappointment, I told him not to worry about it. I assured him that I understood and wished him well on the rest of his venture.

It was then that David asked if he could still stop on his way back to Florida. “Mondays are extremely busy for me,” I retorted. “If you want to stop, I’ll be happy to give you a snack and a sandwich for the rest of your journey, but I won’t be able to talk long.”

And so, that’s how our visit went. I was kind but somewhat guarded when David and his sweet kitty, Bo, stopped at my house late Monday morning. I gave David an egg sandwich for his snack and a German sweet-bologna sandwich for the rest of his drive into Florida. We chatted for a bit – and then he gave me Bo to hold.

*Bo and me after his first manicure at my house.*

“His nails are really long,” I said. “Would you like me to trim them?”

After David agreed, I took Bo to my screen porch, where I brushed his fur and gave him a quick manicure, all the while talking to the kitty more than I was to David.

David sat in an adjacent chair, taking it all in, then asked if he could take a photo of Bo and me to remember the visit. “Of course,” I said as he captured one of my all-time favorite pictures of me holding this sweet kitty.

We exchanged a few more niceties, then David got the hint that it was time to go.

As I walked David to his SUV, he put Bo back inside, then stretched out his arms for a good-bye hug. “It’s going to be hard to leave,” David said as he opened the car door, sat down, and smiled up to me from inside.

I remember being shocked at his chosen turn of phrase, even thinking at the time, “Surely, he doesn’t mean that the way it sounds.”

But he did. And he still does. It’s a gift that never stops giving. David and I frequently repeat this phrase as he runs to the store or leaves the house to run errands. “Is it going to be hard to leave?” I will ask. “It always is,” he’ll respond.

*David and Bo on one of their many car rides together.*

And I always smile at the love I feel when I think of all God gave me in this man. From a simple act of surrendering to God by going to Florida came the gift of a soulmate that I will never take for granted.

God loves us like this. He loves us so much that He will stand at the door, waiting for us to open it and welcome him in. His love is patient, kind, compassionate, and all-knowing yet wholly forgiving. We are to model our compassion for others after the kind of devotion God detailed for us in Corinthians.

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)

That’s the kind of love that David and I share. There is nothing greater than the magnanimous affection our Creator has for us. David and I entwine ourselves in it as we pray before meals, read the Bible together every night, and constantly, fervently, continuously give thanks to our Heavenly Father for His sustaining grace, strength, and provision. We would be nothing without our Creator’s love. We would be nothing without Him – in our lives and in our marriage.

“I could’ve stood in that driveway all day holding you. I never wanted to let go,” David reminded me as we embraced each other earlier today.

That’s how God feels about us, as well. He is always holding us. His love “always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

I am blessed to be loved like that – not just by David, but by my Creator. There is nothing greater on earth.

Birthday blessings of restoration

By Sara | June 3, 2025

“I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten—the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm—my great army that I sent among you. You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the Lord your God, who has worked wonders for you; never again will my people be shamed.” (Joel 2: 25-26)

June 1st was David’s birthday. His age doesn’t matter, but celebrating the day he came into the world does. Without such an event, my world would be dramatically different. While the peripherals that fill my day would be the same – serving my Savior, working hard at my day job, and tending our yard and gardens every weekend – my existence would be less complete without David.

Every day, I wake up and go to sleep, nestling in the arms of someone who loves me. While remotely connected to my workplace, I’m also watching my husband working in the yard, building new things to enhance our lives, and napping on the couch whenever he wants to. I love that “tinkering around” has become David’s new hobby in his recently retired world. I love that I can get and give kisses and hugs whenever I want them. I am grateful to have a partner who helps me care for, feed, and love our growing fur-baby family.

*The beautiful new deck David built inside formerly unused space beside our screen porch* *greatly enhances our yard.*

Most importantly, I cherish the fact that I have a husband who daily reads God’s Word with me, sits beside me in the church pew on Sunday, and prays with me before every meal – with our heads touching, arms around each other in praise, glory, and petition to our Heavenly Father. There is nothing like having a Godly husband who understands my awe, reverence, and respect for my Creator. Nothing.

I still marvel at how my Heavenly Father brought two strangers together while we were serving Him in a town decimated by a natural disaster. Only God could have joined our two hearts so quickly after meeting. Only Christ could have pre-ordained our connection – despite separate lifetimes of loneliness, disappointment, and rejection. Only the Holy Spirit could have touched our hearts to open, blossom, and embrace one another on such a deep level of kinship and commitment. Our relationship, love, and lives can only be as entwined as they are because our Creator continually contains us with His loving hand of protection, provision, and power. It’s all beyond measure.

*The new BBQ Tool Set David received for his birthday brought a boyish grin to his face.*

What a joy it was to see David’s face filled with love after every call he received from his friends and family on his birthday.

“I have everything,” he told my mom on our call. My heart swelled with elation at seeing that statement’s truth permeating David’s glowing countenance.

“What I love about you today,” I told David, repeating our affirmation ritual, “is that I know I will always have you in my life – for all eternity. There is peace in affirming how God brought us together and that we will never be apart. We’re together now for all eternity.”

That’s quite a statement, considering that David and I spent three-quarters of our lives searching for each other. I had long ago given up believing that such a love – built on respect and adoration of our Savior – could even exist. We both resigned ourselves to serve Christ and find peace and joy there. While worshipping Him, our Heavenly Father said, “Wait until you see this! Look at the miracle I’m giving you!”

“I feel like a kid in a candy store,” David said as he reached out to me when we walked the dogs later in the evening. “I can’t stop smiling!”

“That’s just what you said to me in the early days of our friendship,” I reminisced. “Do you remember? You said, ‘We’ll be kids again, together.'”

“Of course I do,” David said while showing me the boyish grin that consistently melts my heart.

*It’s hard to tell who’s happier in this photo – David or our fur babies – Blondie (front) and Brownie (back).*

What a miracle our love is. Whatever we lost in our time before meeting seems like a distant memory now – from a lifetime ago, God not only restored what we lost, He blessed us beyond imagination with a love that neither David nor I could ever fathom.

Like the Israelites long ago, God has repaid us “for the years the locusts have eaten.” (Joel 2:25). Fickle as the Israelites were by following foreign gods after entering the Promised Land, God’s anger at His chosen people was eventually satiated. He heard the cries of His people, forgave them, and brought them back to His side once more.

As the preceding words of Joel tell us in verses 22-24: “God took pity on His people and returned to them what they lost in their time of punishment. ‘Do not be afraid, land of Judah; be glad and rejoice. Surely the Lord has done great things! Do not be afraid, you wild animals, for the pastures in the wilderness are becoming green. The trees are bearing their fruit; the fig tree and the vine yield their riches. Be glad, people of Zion, rejoice in the Lord your God, for He has given you the autumn rains because He is faithful. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before. The threshing floors will be filled with grain; the vats will overflow with new wine and oil.”

That’s precisely how it is with David and I. While we wandered in search of God, calling out for grace and forgiveness, He returned everything we’ve lost over the years – and then some. Our cups are overflowing with His goodness. Our storehouses are full of His grain.

As David’s birthday ended, I couldn’t help but praise my Savior for my husband’s special day, when the man God knew David would become was born. It may have taken years of wandering in a parched and thirsty land to find one another, but we are drinking in abundant praise to our Lord and Savior now – with supreme gratitude.

*God gave us this beautiful love gift – written on the sky during one of evening dog walks.*

There is no greater gift than God’s love upon our unworthy souls. Our lives have been restored beyond measure on David’s birthday and beyond. Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift.

Let Them See You In Me

By Sara | February 3, 2025

When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

In November 2024, I spent two weeks working in Marshall, NC, while serving in my former role. While those two weeks were incredibly stressful, there were moments that stood out as they reminded me that I was there for God’s purpose – to show the Light of Christ to the world.

One particular exchange during the second week of that interval will always remain with me. As usual, I had made a lunch run, venturing out from the remote location where my workplace was building a retreat center in the beautiful North Carolina mountains. Just after lunch, one of the senior executives from the London office turned back to where I was sitting to thank me for getting everyone’s food. As I smiled and gave her my typical “My pleasure” response, she stopped mid-stride and returned to me.

“You have the most beautiful smile, Sara,” she began. “I truly mean that. It’s not just your smile. It’s more that when you smile, your whole existence lights up.”

“Thank you,” I replied, smiling again. “It’s not me. It’s what’s inside me that you see.”

Amid all the darkness of the company I worked for, their New Age talk and practices consuming me then, that brief encounter made me happy – particularly because my boss at the time heard the entire exchange. While she didn’t comment, I saw her look at me before turning away after hearing my response.

That’s why I’m here, I remember thinking at the time. I’m here to show God’s Light to you. While I later regretted not clarifying by saying, “It’s who is inside me that you see,” I knew I would be more specific if given another opportunity to do so.

Much to my delight, the opportunity to speak about this topic again came sooner than I could ever have anticipated.

Having tendered my two-week notice of resignation a month later, my boss precisely detailed who she felt I should notify about my departure. Thankfully, the British executive I’d met in NC was someone she wanted me to reach out to.

“She really liked you,” my boss explained. “Make sure you let her know you’re leaving.”

Seizing this opportunity to refine the comments I’d made the previous month better, I did so in my notification.

“I must begin by thanking you for your kindness during your visit to Marshall in November,” I began. “While I tendered my letter of resignation earlier this week, I will take fond memories of all those gracious to me when I leave – you being chief among them.

“I will never forget how you told me my smile lit up my entire existence and that there is a glow about me,” I continued. “At the time, I said that it’s what’s inside me that you see. I should have clarified that it is really who is inside me that shines forth. That Light is my Savior, Jesus Christ. As I mentioned to [my boss], there is a difference between being a Christian and having a relationship with Jesus Christ. I have the latter. While I hoped this relationship could exist alongside my work here, I now know it cannot – hence my departure. I already exist in a place of peace, wisdom, and love, which allows me to walk away and accept God’s guidance for my next steps.

“All that being said, I greatly admire you and all those choosing to show love to the world with your whole being. I am doing the same – just in a different manner through a different source. I hope and pray that you can understand and feel the same one day. In the meantime, you remain in my heart and prayers. Never forget how precious you are. Most appreciatively, Sara.”

While I had no idea how this correspondence would be received, the response was astounding.

“Dear Sara,” came the reply. “Thank you for your light, your thoughtfulness, your service, and most of all, your love and care.

“On a personal note, I’m so deeply grateful for meeting you and bearing witness to your heartfulness which shines through in all that you are and do. You have such a gentle way and penetrating intelligence, and we are blessed that your bright and loving presence has helped us since your arrival. Wishing you all the love and joy in your next adventure.”

To say that I was stunned by this response is an understatement. I was overjoyed to learn that not only were my words received with the love I wrapped around them but that God’s Light had indeed shown through my everyday actions. That’s what I had hoped for, as that’s how I try to live my life every day.

One profound truth will always remain with me from that job: a vast amount of people live in darkness – many more than I ever realized. Anyone who lives without Christ is living in the dark.

They may appear happy, kind, and full of love – but their love differs from God’s. Their love is conditional and requires steady feeding to remain satiated.

Our Heavenly Father’s love is wholly unconditional and everlasting. Nothing can compare to being loved by the Creator of the universe. Anything else will always come short – yet countless people pursue temporary happiness and worldly pleasure. They seek it in people, drugs, money, and wisdom. They seek it in power, prestige, and even in a “higher consciousness” – as was the case in my former company.

We can’t find peace, wisdom, and love by morphing our minds into another realm. Such an ideal is nothing short of demonic. Only our Heavenly Father can break through the darkness and show us the real Light of the world. Only God can satisfy.

The sad truth is that too often, people don’t even realize they’re living in the dark because they’ve never experienced the true Light of Christ. As Charles Martin explains in his fictional work, The Record Keeper, “People in darkness don’t know they’re in darkness because it’s all they’ve ever known. It’s their world. They navigate primarily by bumping off things that are stronger. Immovable. They don’t know darkness is darkness until someone turns on a light. Only then does the darkness roll back like a scroll. It has to. Darkness can’t stand Light. And it hasn’t. Not since God spoke it into existence.”

Years ago, I remember hearing a sermon describing the importance of our witness: “You may be the only church anyone ever experiences. Make it count.” I might now add that you may be the only reflection of Jesus’s Light someone may ever see. May we never lose an opportunity to shine God’s luminescence into the shadows.

Jesus Christ is the Light of the world. As followers of Christ, so also are we. I am His hands and feet, just as I am privileged to be His Light. As Christ said, “You are the Light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives Light to everyone in the house.” (Matthew 5:14-15)

*Sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean, Tavernier, FL (FL Keys)*

And so, I intend to keep shining. I earnestly pray that Christ’s Light will always be reflected off of me – every day, everywhere I go, and in everything I do. After all, “It’s not me you see, but Christ – the Light of the world – inside of me.”

Tag: #GodsLove