Month: June 2026

Asking and Letting God Do Surgery

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More from Mark Chironna’s “Rising With Hope” devotional

Here are three clips:

Before you pray for God to change your circumstances, ask Him to adjust your way of seeing them. (Day 22, Being and Becoming)

You are not a compartmentalized being, and God has not called you to disregard any part of yourself. (Day 23, Living in Your Body)

When He searches your heart, you can trust His gentleness. He will locate the triggers of your unrest, but His surgery is not only about removing what needs to go. It is also about resuscitating the precious parts of your heart, including the hopeful, creative places that have lain dormant under the weight of oppression and disappointment. He will awaken you to the living soul you were becoming and were created to be–the one who became hidden from sight over the course of time.. (Day 26, God in Your Depths)

A Second Flip from Frustration to Appreciation

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I was trying to leave ahead of the crowd. Something wasn’t cooperating.

That something was a button on the bottom of my folding table. In order for the table to fold, this button has to release the lock on the leg. Leg 1, easy. Leg 2, a problem.

“Fine.  I’ll walk everything else out to the car and come back.  Stupid button.”

Back at the table, button still not releasing, a lady approached.

“Is this your table?”

First thought, “She thinks I’m stealing a table.”

“Yes.”

“Good. I have a question about something you had on display.”

Her question was very personal. A family situation she needed some direction how to approach.

She seemed to walk away feeling supported and resourced.

I knelt back down to work some more on that stubborn button. Click. And Fold.

In that second frustration flipped to appreciation.

That stuck button delayed me long enough to ease someone’s mind, speak to their heart, and give a little peace.

Opportunity created by delay.

The Edges of Darkness and Hope

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More from Mark Chironna’s “Rising With Hope” devotional

Here are three clips:

We live in a culture where everyone wants to win all the time. That is not exactly a Jesus idea. Instead, it makes people who have lost something feel like they don’t belong. (Day 11, Not a Loser)

Anything that is left broken in a family tree will only be passed down to the next generation. (Day 15, A Healing Life)

When what you buried alive rises to the surface of your consciousness, you can move in the direction of healing and greater peace. What looks like the edge of darkness becomes the edge of hope. (Day 21, In the Mercy of God)