There are so many places we could start. There are so many thoughts to explore and experiences to share. We’ll get to those in time. But as I asked God where to begin our journey together, the words of a pastor/songwriter were the first that came to mind. (Thank you, Jason Upton.) “For we are shaped and formed by the hands of God We are held long before we can hold on We are loved long before we even know how to love …” As an organization that exists to serve others and to see the world transformed by Love, it couldn’t be more important for us to begin here. We are loved. We were made with the greatest care by the hands of the One who created the heavens and the earth. And we were made for a purpose. Every single one of us. We were made by Love for the sake of Love. If you feel like this perspective is simplistic or childlike, you couldn’t be more right. While there are few things I enjoy more than wrestling through the deeper matters of life with God and others, at the end of the day, I was made for dependency. To be human is to be needy. 2 Corinthians 4:7-9 (NLT) has this to say to those who have been rescued by God: We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Are you feeling weak and vulnerable in this season? Me, too. Learning to let go and trust Love is a journey. I’m surely still on it. But there is one thing I know for certain. Freedom, joy, and fulfillment awaits for those of us who choose to humbly embrace the truth that we desperately need God. And we desperately need each other.