Lessons in faith, presence and becoming.

There’s someone who has become a meaningful part of my life in this season and is teaching me so much. Todd is one of the unexpected gifts of this season. It has been so good getting to know him—not just who he is, but the ways he sees the world, lives out his faith, and engages with the people around him.

I’m discovering that sometimes God uses the people He brings into our lives to teach us things we didn’t even realize we needed to learn. Not necessarily through grand gestures or profound conversations, but through ordinary moments, thoughtful questions, difficult conversations, and the quiet example of how someone chooses to live.

I’ve been reflecting on some of the beautiful things Todd is teaching me, and I wanted to share a few of them. Not because I have it all figured out, but because I’m learning that there is still so much room to grow, so much to discover, and so much beauty in what God is doing along the way.

He’s teaching me about quality time—that it isn’t simply about being in the same room or sharing an activity. It’s about being fully present. About giving someone the gift of your attention, laying aside distractions, and allowing a moment to matter because you are truly there for it.

He’s teaching me what it means to live out worship. That worship isn’t confined to a Sunday morning, a song, or a quiet moment with an open Bible. It is reflected in how we move through ordinary days, how we treat people, how we steward the moments God gives us, and how we turn our hearts toward Him in the middle of real life.

He’s teaching me how to be present for someone. Not always needing to fix something, offer an answer, or make a difficult moment better. Sometimes love looks like staying. Listening. Making room for another person’s experience without trying to rush them through it.

He’s teaching me the courage of staying engaged in difficult conversations and uncomfortable situations. To resist the urge to retreat when things become complicated. To remain curious, to listen beyond my own perspective, and to understand that meaningful connection sometimes requires us to sit in the tension long enough for something honest and good to emerge.

And he’s teaching me how to honor another person’s pace. To recognize that we don’t all process, understand, or move through things at the same speed. That love doesn’t demand that someone arrive where we are before they’re ready. There is grace in allowing room for another person’s journey, trusting that patience is not passivity and that honoring someone’s pace can be an expression of genuine care.

Perhaps that’s part of what God is doing in this season of my life. Not simply bringing new experiences, but inviting me to pay attention—to the ways I love, the ways I listen, the ways I respond, and the ways I can become more like Jesus.

I’m grateful for the lessons. I’m grateful for the opportunity to grow. And I’m learning that sometimes the most meaningful gifts another person offers us are not the answers they give, but the ways their life invites us to see, love, and live a little differently.

Todd, thank you for the ways you care for me, the laughter and joys you gift so easily, the invitations to grow, and the reminders to be intentional about how I show up in this world. Thanks for leading with a solid heart-filled example.

There is so much I don’t know about what lies ahead, but I’m learning to hold this season with open hands, a teachable heart, and deep gratitude for the goodness God brings along the way.