Listen

See what kind of love the Father has given to us in that we should be called God’s children, and that is what we are! Because the world didn’t recognize him, it doesn’t recognize us.

Dear friends, now we are God’s children, and it hasn’t yet appeared what we will be. We know that when he appears we will be like him because we’ll see him as he is. And all who have this hope in him purify themselves even as he is pure.

1 John 3:1–3

Think

When I was sixteen, I decided to start a habit: keeping a journal to read the Bible and write down my thoughts. I remember reading the gospel of John, three or four chapters each day. Back then, we didn’t have social media like we do today, but we did have other distractions. The pager, for example, kept us checking to see who was sending a message. Today, we carry many more distractions in a single device.

My journal taught me something: I needed to make room to listen, read, and think. 1 John invites us to pause and reflect on a profound truth: just how much God loves us. It also reminds us that our story is still unfolding; we don’t yet fully see what we will become. That hope transforms how we live today. That’s why creating silence isn’t just a good habit. It’s about making space to remember that you are a person loved by God and allowing that truth to shape your life.

Before you check your cell phone or get distracted, connect with God.

Raquel López Oliver

Question to Ponder:

What would change if, tomorrow, you remembered how much God loves you before checking your cell phone?

Pray

God, amid so many voices vying for my attention, I want to make room to listen to you. Help me to live each day remembering your love and the person you are shaping within me. Amen.

Go

Now go back to your day. Look closely. Listen intently. Show your love through your actions. Follow Jesus in your daily life, remembering that you are not alone and that your life, too, can help someone else find their way.