Have you ever caught yourself thinking something about you that you would never, ever say to another human being? “You’re not good enough.” “You can’t do this.” “Everyone else is better.” I have. Many times. And if I’m honest, there have been seasons where what others said became louder than what God said about me. Just like Julia Roberts said in Pretty Woman: “The bad stuff is easier to believe.” But friend—that was never the truth. Words matter.

Prayer.It’s the daily friendship God desires to have with you—the kind where you can show up in your slippers with messy hair, coffee breath, half-awake, offering up a simple, “Good morning, Lord,” and He beams like you just gave Him the greatest gift.

I lost someone dear recently—a friend, a family member to many, my daughter’s cousin. His life was taken in a senseless act of violence during a robbery gone wrong. Just like that, a precious life cut short. His story should not have ended this way. There are no words that can wrap neatly around the ache that death leaves behind. When it happens in such a cruel way, it stings even more. Money. That’s what it came down to. Money—something so temporary—was valued over a huma