When does love matter most? When is love it's loudest?

I’m sitting here in Arusha, Tanzania, pondering. In mid-September, I brought a team for a two-week outreach trip to Nairobi, Western Kenya, and way up to a remote little village in the Pokot region. Team trips were where it all began for me—where God started to nudge and push me out of my comfort zone. And here I am today, on my longest trip yet—a three-and-a-half-month journey through Kenya and Tanzania with my dear friends and partners in ministry.

As life has moved on, as more experiences have shaped me, and as my heart has broken and burst over things that matter deeply, I’ve come to realize what matters most. When love matters most.

I have sat with people rejoicing over celebrations. I have gathered around tables in laughter. I have snuggled my grandbaby in the stillness of night. In each of these moments, love existed; it was felt; it deepened. It mattered.

But then, there are these seasons that hit people and wipe them out, knock them off their feet, dull the world around them, freeze time, knock the very oxygen out of their lungs… it feels like more than one can bear. It’s isolating and painful on the deepest gut level. It feels like surviving itself may be questionable.

This is when the simplest act of love—a kindness, a presence, an extended resource—reaches into the deepest pain and says, “I see you and I care about you.” It reminds them they’re not alone in this.

I remember when Dave was battling cancer for those 14 months. It was rough. I mean, ROUGH. My heart was numb and ached more intensely than I thought possible. Many people reached out with kindness and support, which I appreciated so much. But looking back, it was those who saw my most basic needs and met them that brought the deepest comfort. The things hardest to ask for—like money, food, seeing my kids’ needs and helping them, and those handwritten scripture cards—singing to my soul and bringing a holy pause. Those reminders let me know that God saw, God knew, God cared, and God would provide. I saw His love in the eyes of His people, and I felt His love through their thoughtfulness and care.

This season gave me a wisdom that won’t be lost on me. It’s what spurs me on to build bridges between those who are suffering and those who, at this moment, have something to offer in the name of love. From my own experience, I believe that in pain, LOVE speaks its loudest. It has a way of reaching in and holding people like they’ve never been held before. I think it’s because these primitive needs are so often overlooked by a broken world, yet God’s love meets us there.

Over the last 17 years of traveling back and forth to Africa, I’ve collected so many hard stories and heart stories. I’m going to start sharing more of them here. My prayer is that, as you read, your mind slows down and you hear what God might be speaking to you. What does He want to show you? How does He want you to engage in this hurting world? And if you’re in a season of hurt, what are you longing for? What is your hard ask? Where does love need to be loudest right now?

We’re all going to have seasons that challenge us, that ask us to be both givers and receivers of love in ways we never imagined. My hope is that as we walk through these seasons—whether we’re celebrating or struggling, whether we’re sharing love or needing it—that we remember how deeply we’re seen and cared for by God.

It says in The Message version of Matthew 5:4: “You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.”

May we ALL hold tight to this truth, knowing that love shows up in EVERY season, and when it matters most, God is there, loving us through it all.

In this together,