More from Melissa Dameron-Vines

Since I wrote and submitted my meditation about surprises, I have continued to happily craft children’s messages each week for my church. I take delight in discerning God’s message, and this process has truly tuned my ear to God’s voice. When I began delivering the children’s message, my pastor and I would check in with each other during the week about the scripture and his focus for the sermon, but over time, as I settled into the pattern of creating the messages around something that happened during the week, the messages and verses flowed together naturally. Now, no matter which message I bring or which verse I use, it always aligns with my pastor’s sermon. This is more than serendipity—it is another way God shows his power, love, and grace. When we are aligned with God’s mission, our efforts will always glorify God.

On a personal note, our family is at the beginning of a lot of changes this year. Our daughter, who is our only child, will start her senior year of high school in August and is making plans for college, while my husband and I are preparing ourselves to be “empty nesters.” Over the past few years, we have been realistic about these upcoming changes and have had open family conversations about what lies ahead. We have made “being present” a priority so that we can appreciate each special and mundane moment. For some, this transition is a time of sadness and tears, but for us, we are embracing this time of transition and transformation with joy. Our ultimate job as parents is to raise our daughter to be a loving, independent, intelligent person who can go out into the world ready to do God’s work. She is turning into this young adult every day, and we are thrilled for her opportunities and for what she can offer the world in God’s name. In January, we chose surrender as our word for 2025, and we taped it to the window frame behind our coffee maker so we could see it every morning. As we prepare to cross this major threshold in our lives, we surrender our fears to God each day knowing he will renew our faith and keep us strong. God is watching over us and guiding us, and that is no surprise.