Tiny Graces All Around + Next Week’s Gospel Reflection
On little gifts and paying attention, followed by NEXT Sunday’s Gospel reflection and discussion questions
Note From Me: Tiny Graces All Around
Between meals and coffee mugs and the never-ending loading and unloading of the dishwasher, I’ve stood in my kitchen, at window, thousands of times over the years. You’d think I’d seen everything there is to see.
But this summer, we noticed something new. A little dark gray catbird has been visiting our front deck. She has a nest somewhere nearby, and every so often she’ll land on the railing and simply sit. Sometimes she stays for several minutes before darting away again.
I’m sure she’s been doing this for weeks; I just hadn’t noticed. Now I find myself looking for her whenever I’m near the window. Some days she’s there, some days she isn’t, but because I’ve started paying attention, I see her more often than I ever did before.
It makes me wonder how much of my life is like that. How many tiny gifts and little graces has God placed right in front of me that I’ve stopped noticing simply because they’re familiar? The people I love. The home I’ve lived in for years. The routines that feel so ordinary they’re almost invisible.
Beauty doesn’t always arrive with fanfare. Sometimes it lands silently on the deck railing and waits for us to look. Maybe gratitude begins not by asking God for something new, but by noticing what has been here all along.
With grace,
The Gospel reflection and discussion questions you’ll find below are open to everyone this week, as a sample of the kind of content paid subscribers receive regularly. My hope is that it supports your prayer, wherever you are today.
Sunday Gospel Reflection: Treasure Worth Everything
Gospel for Sunday, July 26, 2026
Matthew 13:44-52
The people in Jesus’ parables recognize something so valuable that everything else suddenly becomes secondary. The treasure in the field and the pearl of great price are worth giving up everything to possess, not with resentment, but with joy.
This is what happens when we truly encounter God. Faith stops feeling like one more obligation added to an already full life. Instead, it becomes the treasure that gives meaning to everything else. Following Jesus may require sacrifice, but it is never an empty loss. We surrender lesser things because we have discovered something greater.
The image of the net reminds us that our choices matter. Not everything we collect, pursue, or cling to belongs in the life God is calling us to live. We must learn to recognize what is good and let go of what draws us away from him.
Jesus invites us to ask honestly: Is the kingdom of God my greatest treasure, or simply one priority among many others? When we understand what we have been offered, surrender becomes not a burden, but a joyful response.
Questions for Journaling or Small Group Discussion
What do I treasure most right now, and how is that shaping the way I live?
Have I ever experienced a moment when faith felt less like an obligation and more like a joyful discovery?
What might God be asking me to release so that I can receive something greater from him?
Are there habits, attachments, or distractions in my life that no longer belong in the life God is calling me to live?
Do my daily choices reflect that the kingdom of God is my highest priority, or merely one priority among many?
How can I draw from both the “new and the old”—fresh movements of grace and the wisdom of faith already given to me—as I follow Christ?
My life has slowed down a lot due to illness! I too have been enjoying seeing more birds in my backyard! I have a male and female cardinal couple that has finally found my bird seed in my backyard patio! I have also been enjoying seeing a variety of dragon flies, even of of different colors! Nature is beautiful when you slow down to notice it!
Thanks Danielle for your inspiring weekly emails!