Third Time’s the Charm

Last week I mentioned that life felt busy.

Here’s what that actually looked like.

Monday started at 4:30 a.m. I woke up early to bake gluten-free sourdough bread—more on that later. I did devos, including a quick prayer walk, then worked out in the dark because everyone else in my house had the day off. By 7:30, I was out the door for a work inservice, followed by an afternoon in my office.

I made it home just in time to grab my youngest and head to Bible study. It was one of those nights where no one coordinated ahead of time, yet we all shared similar aha moments from God. Gratitude kept coming up—in different stories, from different angles.

From there, the evening moved fast. We rushed from Bible study to basketball practice, back home for dinner, then out again for pickup, followed by the bedtime routine. And once the house was quiet, I went back to the sourdough.

My older daughter was recently diagnosed with Celiac. She’s the designated baker in our house, but somehow I’ve become the one in charge of her sourdough starter. She decided we needed to get into the sourdough starter life. Our starter is named Ginny, and she’s been a little challenging! It took three attempts just to get the starter going, and my first few loaves didn’t turn out quite right—but I’m not one to give up.

That’s where God taught me a lesson this week.

God keeps bringing me back to gratitude—not just when things are going well, but when they’re unfinished, imperfect, or taking longer than expected. Being grateful when life is full is one thing. Being grateful when you’re starting the starter for the third time is another.

God doesn’t give up on us when we fail.

Peter denied Jesus three times (Luke 22:54-62) and was restored—not dismissed, not disqualified (John 21:15-17). Restored and trusted again.

So I’m asking myself this—and I’ll ask you too:

What’s going on in your life right now?

Where are you tempted to quit?

And what might it look like to add that situation to your gratitude list?

Because sometimes, faith looks a lot like starting again—and God never gives up on you!

I had to share this song by The Afters because it fits perfectly with this week's devotional: You Never Gave Up on Me.

Want more devotionals to inspire your week? Check out Make Monday Matter here.

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