Category: Encouragement

What’s in Your Heart to Do?

  @nanamaryp hits 900

Getting dressed nine months ago, on September 16, 2025, I heard the Lord loud and clear. “Mary, I want you to go on TikTok and bless My daughters.” I was stunned. That was the last social media I wanted to be on. But then I thought, “How can anyone reach the younger generation, if you aren’t where they are?” I downloaded the app and posted my first 30-second video that very afternoon.

I have been faithful to His assignment. As @nanamaryp, I have posted daily with a thought, a prayer, or an encouraging word. Today, I reached 900 followers. 82% are female and 62% are between 18-34. To me, this is a huge milestone. Please understand I’m not writing this for accolades but out of concern for the younger generations. They need encouragement from we Baby Boomers.

According to George Barna and Arizona Christian University’s Research Center’s 2026 survey of Gen Z adults (ages 18-22) only 1% have a biblical worldview (defined as holding religious beliefs and behaviors consistent with biblical principles). This compares to 4% in 2018. Millennials have dropped from 6% in 2018 to 2% in 2026. [See Barna Group | Impact360Institute.org]

The Happiness Hump Flattens

According to a global study by economists published by PLOS One, mental health in the younger generations is declining. Think of happiness as a hump or a “U.” Normally, the young are happy, slump at middle age, but rebound thereafter. This global study showed the Happiness Hump is flattening, particularly with young people. The older generations are more resilient than the young ones. Remember, this was worldwide. [Source: Why Are Gen Z the Most Miserable Generation?] There is some good news! Church attendance and bible reading is increasing in Gen Z, especially young men. [Barna Group | American Bible Society]

What Can We Do?

    • Noah had a saw and hammer.
    • Abraham had a promise.
    • Moses had a staff.
    • Jael had a tent peg.
    • David had five smooth stones.
    • The widow had a small jar of oil.
    • Simon Peter had a fishing boat.
    • The Samaritan Woman had a water bucket.

“Then the LORD said to him, ‘What is that in your hand?’”
Exodus 4:2

No matter what age you are, you still have gifts and talents that can encourage those who follow you. Moms, dads, and grandparents – your children may be grown up and moved away but your influence hasn’t diminished. Face-to-face interaction, encouragement, even a simple, “I see you” can begin a conversation that builds confidence and reinvigorates their destiny. Leave a legacy of love. Pray for them. And if the Lord puts an idea in your heart, follow your heart. Do it!

There’s a particular verse that spoke to me when I was forty. It has become a life-verse, a goal, and a prayer. May it speak to you as well. Each of us has a divine purpose to fulfill in our lifetime. Live your life without regrets. Do what you can do and let God do the rest.

For David, after he had served God’s purpose in his own generation,
fell asleep, and was buried among his fathers…
Acts 13:36

You’re Making Glory Dust

It’s been an interesting year for me. On December 28, 2024, I fell and broke my left humerus. After surgery, with a 9-inch rod and six screws installed, I began my road to recovery. Months into physical therapy to prevent a frozen shoulder, I developed another health issue that occasionally knocked me down as well. I was beginning to think I was worthless because I couldn’t do as much as I used to for the Lord.

As I was dressing the other morning, the 1994 Newsboys’ song, Shine, came on. The refrain kept reverberating in my spirit:

Shine
Make ’em wonder what you’ve got
Make ’em wish they were not
On the outside, looking bored.
Shine
Let it shine before all men
Let ’em see good works and then
Let ’em glorify the Lord

I heard, “Glory dust” in my spirit. Immediately, I saw smiles and kind gestures, like giving up your place in line. I shared this with a friend, and she said, “If you don’t write a poem about that, I will!” And so I did…

Glory Dust

The world tells me who to trust.
Religion tells me what I must.
My body whispers I should lust.
My soul replies, “I am a bust.”
My mind insists, “Don’t be fussed.”
My heart feels hope, though often crushed.
My will declares, “You must adjust.”
Then suddenly—there came a thrust:
His Spirit said, “You’re making glory dust.
Each smile, each wave, a spark of light,
A gift of love that warms the night.
I watched you bend to lift the litter,
And leave behind My holy glitter.
You yielded kindly, gave your place in line—
A quiet act that made Me shine.
You wrapped the cold with shoes and shirts,
And helped to heal another’s hurts.
The smallest deeds exalt My name;
From tiny embers rises flame.”

We don’t have to do BIG things for the Lord to bring Him glory. He sees the small things, and they make Him smile. So, spread a little glory dust today.