About a month ago, as I sat before a blank screen and blinking cursor, I prayed, Lord, what do you want me to write? My heart was heavy from devastating headlines and a divided world. Families at odds, the Church lacking unity, people who profess Jesus pointing fingers at one another — I was tempted to despair.

Then the Holy Spirit nudged me to check the publication date of this devotion, and I smiled. Today is the day after my first grandchild’s due date. Will he arrive on time, or keep us waiting? Only God knows. But what joy to anticipate his arrival.

As I pondered this new life, I remembered when I first began writing for (in)courage. Back then, my children were 17, 15, and 12. Now they’re grown — 33, 31, and 28. Sixteen years have brought so much change in our family and in our world.

My son and daughter-in-law haven’t revealed their baby’s name yet, but I know their top options. Curious, I looked up the meaning of the one I suspect they’ll choose. What I found stopped me in my tracks: “Bringer of light.”

Wow.

In that moment, nothing in the world’s headlines changed, but something in me did. God reminded me to take my eyes off the darkness and fix them on the true Light — Jesus, the Light of the World (John 8:12).

Our grandson is certain to bring light to our family. All newborns tend to illuminate a room, don’t they? Created in the image of God, babies are a beautiful glimpse of God’s glory. And we need all the glimpses we can get these days.

As I was reminded of who God is and what He has done for me, I thought about how loved and wanted my grandson already is. And it occurred to me that these things – light and love – are what our world desperately needs.

Fear is too loud right now. Outrage is contagious. Everyone feels the need to be right. Too much darkness. Rampant hatefulness.

A song from decades ago stirred in my memory: “What the world needs now is love, sweet love….” Though not written for a Christian audience, it conveys a spiritual reality rooted in the heart of God Himself.

Scripture tells us plainly: “God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” (1 John 4:16 ESV). Love is not a suggestion from God — it is His very nature. When we follow Jesus, our lives should reflect His love.

Biblical love isn’t sentimental or shallow. It is powerful, sacrificial, and redemptive. It looks like Jesus leaving heaven’s glory to walk among us. He defended the outcast, touched lepers, forgave sinners, and laid down His life for His friends — and enemies.

Paul reminds us, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13 NIV). If love is the greatest, shouldn’t it also be the loudest witness of our lives?

One of the greatest challenges of our time is the noise. Endless scrolling. Constant outrage. Opinions shaped less by Scripture and more by soundbites, hashtags, and headlines.

We live in an era where truth itself is contested. Algorithms feed us what we already want to hear, creating echo chambers that reinforce our biases and drown out anything that challenges us. No matter how we lean, the danger is the same: being discipled more by our feed than by our faith.

In 2 Timothy 4:3-4, Paul warned Timothy, “…they will turn their ears away from the truth and will turn aside to myths.” What may have been a first-century problem feels like a twenty-first-century epidemic.

When we consume content without discernment, we risk mistaking opinion for truth, outrage for piety, and frequently posted memes for wisdom. Left unchecked, our social and preferred news channels can actually keep us misinformed, which has the potential to harden our hearts toward anyone outside our ideological camp.

What are we to do? How do we honor Jesus and bless those around us in a world so loud, divided, and misled? A few thoughts—

View people through Christ’s eyes. Jesus noticed those others ignored: the woman at the well (John 4), Zacchaeus in the tree (Luke 19). Love begins when we look past labels to see people as image-bearers of God.

Speak healing words.  Proverbs 18:21 says, “The tongue has the power of life and death.” Today, that includes what we type and share. Love resists the urge to repost inflammatory headlines or content we haven’t verified. Words that encourage, build up, and reflect the love and light of Christ bring unity and healing.

Serve. Jesus said, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve” (Mark 10:45). What if we spent less energy proving our point and more energy serving our neighbors? Love is most visible when it costs us something — time, comfort, or even pride.

Forgive. Forgiveness is a beautiful reflection of Jesus. In a culture addicted to canceling and shaming, forgiveness is radical love. “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32).

We may feel powerless against the big problems, but Jesus never asked us to fix the whole world. He asked us to love the person in front of us.

What the world needs now is not more arguments or opinions, but the love and light of Jesus flowing through ordinary people who dare to live with extraordinary grace.

John summed it up simply: “Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (1 John 4:11). Loved people love people.

So go, dear sisters. Shine brightly. Love like crazy.

These are two things that there’s just too little of.

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