This morning, I held up two fingers and saw something more than a peace sign. I saw a reminder of the promise that carries me through uncertain days: wherever I go, Jesus is with me.
Two fingers. You and Jesus.
Today, facing hernia surgery, that thought became personal. There is something about preparing for an operation that brings everything into focus. You think about the people you love, the things you still hope to do, and the simple blessing of another day.
You also discover how much it means to have someone standing beside you.
Jeff Tenner and Kathleen, thank you for standing by my side. Thank you for your friendship, your kindness, and your willingness to be there when I needed support. Your presence helped me face this day with gratitude.
I believe Jeff did God’s bidding for me today. Through his care and Kathleen’s support, I felt a reminder that the love of Jesus reaches us through human hands.
That is the Body of Christ.
“Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.” First Corinthians 12:27.
We each have opportunities to become someone’s answered prayer. Sometimes that means giving someone a ride. Sometimes it means sitting beside them, listening without rushing, or helping carry a burden that has grown too heavy.
“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2.
I think that is part of what makes Jesus the Prince of Peace. His presence gives us courage to receive love and offer it. His peace can meet us in a hospital hallway, in a friend’s voice, or in the quiet moment when we realize we do not have to carry everything ourselves.
“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you.” John 14:27.
I still have questions about tomorrow. I still have people I miss, responsibilities waiting, and hopes I am learning to place in God’s hands. Faith gives me somewhere to bring all of that.
Today, I brought it into prayer. I thanked my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for the life I have lived and the people who have walked through it with me.
I thanked Him for Jeff and Kathleen.
Their faithful friendship reminds me that belonging to Christ also means belonging to a body, a community called to care for one another. We need each other. Accepting help can itself become an act of faith.
“Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20.
So when you see me raise two fingers, remember what that little gesture means to me.
You and Jesus.
And remember the friends through whom His love becomes something you can feel: someone beside your chair, someone answering your call, someone staying close when you are afraid.
Jeff and Kathleen, thank you for standing beside me through this chapter. I am grateful for you both.
There are moments when I imagine peace as a quiet lake, with nothing moving and nothing troubling the surface. But today, peace looks more like trust while life is still moving. It looks like letting the medical team do their work, letting friends care, and offering God an honest prayer.
Lord, help me take this next step.
I do not need impressive words for that prayer. I do not need to pretend I have every answer. I can come as I am, grateful and uncertain, and ask for strength for the hour ahead.
Jeff and Kathleen, you have helped make that hour easier to face. Standing by someone is a beautiful kind of ministry. It tells them their life matters, their worries can be spoken, and their company is worth keeping.
I hope I remember this kindness when someone else needs me. May I recognize the chance to show up, listen closely, and give another person the same comfort you have given me so generously today.
The Prince of Peace has a peace sign.
Today, mine is raised with thanksgiving.
I love You, Jesus.
Never alone.
