Following and Trusting : Encountering God Out of the Box

My word for this year is quite simply, “love.”

(This simple word has also come with a very bizarre prayer that has lead to healing of people’s relationships and physical bodies! More of this story will be coming in a later post…)

It’s been refreshing to ponder and to recalibrate that life all comes down to this: LOVE.

It’s also a new month—and February invites us to slow down and reflect on relationships.

Family.

(My own dad turns 80 this month and I am looking forward to celebrating with him!)

Friendships.

Communities.

The people God has woven into our everyday lives.

But before February becomes about striving to love better, give more, or fix relationships, there’s a gentler invitation waiting for us…

⸻

🌿 Love Begins With Receiving

Scripture reminds us:

“We love because He first loved us.”

— 1 John 4:19

This means love is not something we manufacture.

It’s something we receive—and then let flow outward.

So often, we try to love others from empty places, hoping effort will make up for exhaustion.
But God’s way is different.
He fills first.
We love second.

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🕊 A Blessing for This Month

As we step into this new month, my prayer for you is simple and full of hope:

May you be blessed with more of the Holy Spirit—

more rest,

more tenderness,

more awareness of what God is already doing in your relationships.

May His presence flow gently through your family life, friendships, and communities—bringing peace where there has been tension, understanding where there has been misunderstanding, and joy where things have felt heavy.

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💗 Pause and Rest

Before you rush into loving others, pause.

Sit with the Lord.

Let Him look at you.

Let His affection settle in your heart.

Love becomes natural when we allow ourselves to be loved.

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🙏 A Simple Prayer

Lord,

We pause this month to receive Your love.

We don’t want to strive—we want to be still in your presence.

Fill us with Your love so fully that it spills into every relationship we touch.

Teach us to love as You love—patiently, gently, faithfully.

May February be a month marked not by pressure, but by presence.

Not by effort, but by overflow.

Amen.

⸻

Here’s to a month of deeper connection, holy rest, and love that flows from God’s heart through ours. 💕

Merri Ellen 🙂

He has more for you!

YOU are a sacred space.

Meet with a trained coach to walk with you.

Join other hungry women seeking the Lord together.

Enjoy the books: “God, Show Me What You See”
or “God, Show Me More of You“