MAY 28, 2026

 “If you're reading this...

Congratulations, you're alive.

If that's not something to smile about,

then I don't know what is.” 

― Chad Sugg

1 CHRONICLES 23-25

6All these men were under the supervision of their father for the music of the temple of the Lord, with cymbals, lyres and harps, for the ministry at the house of God.

Asaph, Jeduthun and Heman were under the supervision of the king. 7Along with their relatives—all of them trained and skilled in music for the Lord—they numbered 288. (25:6-7)

JOHN 11:1-17

9Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world’s light. 10It is when a person walks at night that they stumble, for they have no light.”

11After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.”

JOURNAL 

What strikes me most in these chapters of Chronicles is not simply David’s leadership, but the tenderness and intentionality behind it. As he nears the end of his life, he is not consumed with preserving his image or building monuments to himself. Instead, he is carefully establishing places for others. Priests, gatekeepers, musicians, servants, entire generations are being prepared for worship and service. Even the musicians are named, counted, trained, and valued. That says something profound about the heart of God. Love notices people. Love sees worth where the world often sees insignificance. The Kingdom of God is not built merely on power, achievement, or visibility, but on relationship, belonging, and participation. Every person matters because every person is loved by God.

The more I reflect on Scripture, the more I think salvation is not simply about escaping punishment, but about being brought out of hiding and back into relationship with the God who fully sees us. Sin introduced shame, and shame caused humanity to hide. Ever since Eden, people have been constructing identities, accomplishments, control, religion, and pride to avoid being truly known. But love calls us back into the light. That is why 1 John says if we walk in darkness while claiming fellowship with God, we lie. Darkness is not merely immoral behavior. Darkness is hiding. It is living disconnected from truth and refusing to believe we could actually be loved as we really are. Walking in the light means living honestly before God. It means surrendering the false self we keep trying to protect.

That is exactly what Jesus models in John 11. The disciples are terrified to return to Judea because of the threats against Him, but Jesus is not governed by fear. He walks forward calmly because He is fully aligned with the Father. He is walking in the light. What stands out to me is that Jesus never seems frantic about preserving Himself. Fear always turns inward. Fear obsesses over survival, reputation, control, and outcomes. But love frees a person from constantly protecting themselves because they already know who holds them. Jesus walks toward danger because He trusts the Father completely.

That is the invitation for all of us. To stop spending our lives trying to manufacture worth or secure love through performance, success, religion, control, or image management. To stop hiding in darkness. To believe that in Christ we are already fully seen and still deeply loved. That changes gratitude entirely. Gratitude is no longer just appreciation for circumstances. It becomes the response of someone who realizes they are alive, known, forgiven, and loved by God in the middle of all their imperfection.

That kind of gratitude creates light. It opens our eyes to the sacredness of ordinary moments: breath, conversations, music, service, today itself. That is why simply being alive matters so much. Every day is another opportunity to walk in the light instead of fear. Another opportunity to stop hiding. Another opportunity to trust the love of God enough to be honest. If you are alive, then grace is still reaching for you. Light is still calling you forward. And love has not given up on you yet.

5This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all^bsin. 

1 JOHN 1:5-7