Looking for a specific topic or Scripture? Try the search feature:

Looking for a specific devotion? Try the archive:

Devotions Archive
Looking Up When Life Weighs You Down
weary, Positive Life, Encouragement, Comfort Dana Rongione weary, Positive Life, Encouragement, Comfort Dana Rongione

Looking Up When Life Weighs You Down

One of my favorite things to do here in Wales is visit old castles. There’s just something about the history and architecture that fascinates me. But as much as I love exploring these ancient structures, I always end up with a pain in my neck the next day.

When you're walking around a castle, you're constantly looking up. You're admiring the tall towers, the intricate carvings, and the beautiful stained glass windows. But, after a while, all that looking up can take a toll on your neck (especially if you already have neck issues).

Life can be the same way. We want to be positive and keep looking up, but sometimes, circumstances causes such a pain in the neck that we find our gaze slipping down to the depths of despair. Our “eyes fail with looking upward.”

Read More
Journey Through the Middle
Life's Journey, Comfort, Encouragement Dana Rongione Life's Journey, Comfort, Encouragement Dana Rongione

Journey Through the Middle

Have you ever felt stuck in a rut? Like a hamster on the wheel, you’re going through the motions but not really making any progress. I’ve been there. In fact, I’m there right now, and it can be discouraging, to say the least. But here's the thing: Sometimes, being stuck in a rut is a necessary step toward where God wants us to be. Just look at the story of Joseph.

Joseph was thrown into a pit by his brothers and sold into slavery. He ended up in Potipher's house, where he was eventually falsely accused and thrown into prison. But even in prison, Joseph rose to the top. He became the keeper of the prison, overseeing all the other prisoners.

Read More
From Bad to Worse
Comfort, Encouragement, weariness Dana Rongione Comfort, Encouragement, weariness Dana Rongione

From Bad to Worse

As Jason and I drove toward our house after the lovely ladies' retreat last week, we were surprised to see freshly painted white lines on our street. As I mentioned in a recent post, our quiet little road had been under construction, and it looked like the workers had finally finished up Stage One, leaving behind a gravelly, dusty mess. Gazing out the car window, I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. The road was still rough and gravelly, and the freshly painted lines seemed to mock me as we bumped along. Evidently, Stage Two (the painting of the lines) was also the completion of the project.

"Honestly," I muttered to Jason, "I think the road was better before they started all this construction. What was the point?"

Jason just chuckled and patted my hand. "Sometimes, Dana, things have to get worse before they can get better."

Read More
From Gravel to Grace
Life's Journey, Comfort, Encouragement Dana Rongione Life's Journey, Comfort, Encouragement Dana Rongione

From Gravel to Grace

Road construction can be a real pain! Over the past week, there's been a whole crew working on the street right in front of my house. It started off with them just patching up some of the rougher spots and potholes. Jackhammers going off at the crack of dawn, dump trucks rumbling by every five minutes. It was chaos!

The next thing I knew, they were reworking the entire road surface, leaving a bed of loose gravel in their wake. Suddenly, our once-decent road became this rocky, uneven mess. Driving on it is like navigating an off-road course, and our poor car is taking a beating.

Read More
Ripple Effects
weariness, Encouragement, Comfort, Reaching Out to Others Dana Rongione weariness, Encouragement, Comfort, Reaching Out to Others Dana Rongione

Ripple Effects

King Josiah. Now, here was a man of unwavering faith and determination. He was a true leader, always striving to align himself with God’s will and to guide his people in the right direction. He fearlessly dismantled the false idols and restored the temple to its rightful state. And you know what? For a time, the nation was rejuvenated. The people returned to the worship of the one true God, and it seemed like Josiah’s reign was a turning point for the land.

But then, as often happens in life, things took a turn for the worse. After Josiah's death, the people returned to their old ways, worshipping false gods and ignoring the commands of the Lord. It's enough to make a person feel like all their hard work was for nothing.

Read More