It had been raining for hours when Ellie pulled into the old stone church’s parking lot, the windshield wipers struggling to make sense of the storm. She sat there for a moment, forehead against the steering wheel, feeling smaller than she ever had before. All she had wanted was love—a real, steadfast kind of love. But it seemed she only ever found heartbreak that left her standing alone in the rain.
The church door creaked as she stepped inside. It smelled of old wood, candles, and something warm that calmed the ache in her chest. She didn’t know why she was here; only that something inside—something quiet but unyielding—had carried her to this place.
Inside the empty sanctuary, Ellie let herself cry. No measured, quiet tears. Full, aching sobs that echoed off the stained-glass windows. She cried for the relationship she thought was leading to marriage, for the promises broken, for the version of herself she had twisted to be what someone else wanted.
She tucked herself into the third pew, watching raindrops race each other down the colored glass. With a shuddering breath, Ellie whispered the only prayer she knew how to pray: “God... please. I don't know how to do this anymore.”
There was no booming answer from heaven, no flash of angel wings—but there was a tiny movement by the altar.
An old woman, small and steady, was lighting a candle. She didn’t pretend not to see Ellie’s tears. Instead, she finished curling the lighter’s flame along the wick and made her way over, sitting down beside her like it was the most natural thing in the world.
“Rough day?” the woman asked softly.
Ellie laughed wetly. “More like a rough year.”
The woman smiled, the lines around her eyes deepening with kindness. “Good thing love isn’t something we have to earn. God doesn’t give His love in scraps.”
Ellie looked down at her hands. "I feel like I'm never enough... for anyone."
The woman laid a gentle hand over Ellie’s wrist. “You are already loved more deeply than you can imagine. Not because of what you do. Because of who you are—created, chosen, delighted in. God's love teaches us what real love looks like—patient, kind, never giving up.”
The words settled into Ellie’s soul like soft rain into dry earth.
For a while they sat there, watching candles flicker against the storm-blurred windows. The old woman shared how she'd lost her husband decades ago but found new life in loving others through her church. “Love isn’t always about romance,” she said. “Sometimes it’s the strong arms that carry you when your legs give out. Sometimes it's the whisper in your heart reminding you you’re not alone.”
When Ellie left the church, the rain had softened into a mist. She caught her reflection in the side mirror—red eyes and all—but there was something new, too: a quiet light.
In her heart, hope began to bloom, fragile but fierce.
She realized love wasn’t something she had failed to find. Love—the real kind—had already found her, in a Savior who stayed, who saw every broken piece of her and still called her “beloved.” There would be healing, laughter, and new beginnings ahead. God was not finished with her story yet.
As Ellie drove home, the first split in the clouds revealed a shy hint of blue. And for the first time in months, she smiled, truly smiled, knowing she was held by a love that would never let her go.
—
Supporting Scripture:
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."
"And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us."
"The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing."
"But now, this is what the Lord says—he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: 'Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.'"
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another."
It had been raining for hours when Ellie pulled into the old stone church’s parking lot, the windshield wipers struggling to make sense of the storm. She sat there for a moment, forehead against the steering wheel, feeling smaller than she ever had before. All she had wanted was love—a real, steadfast kind of love. But it seemed she only ever found heartbreak that left her standing alone in the rain.
The church door creaked as she stepped inside. It smelled of old wood, candles, and something warm that calmed the ache in her chest. She didn’t know why she was here; only that something inside—something quiet but unyielding—had carried her to this place.
Inside the empty sanctuary, Ellie let herself cry. No measured, quiet tears. Full, aching sobs that echoed off the stained-glass windows. She cried for the relationship she thought was leading to marriage, for the promises broken, for the version of herself she had twisted to be what someone else wanted.
She tucked herself into the third pew, watching raindrops race each other down the colored glass. With a shuddering breath, Ellie whispered the only prayer she knew how to pray: “God... please. I don't know how to do this anymore.”
There was no booming answer from heaven, no flash of angel wings—but there was a tiny movement by the altar.
An old woman, small and steady, was lighting a candle. She didn’t pretend not to see Ellie’s tears. Instead, she finished curling the lighter’s flame along the wick and made her way over, sitting down beside her like it was the most natural thing in the world.
“Rough day?” the woman asked softly.
Ellie laughed wetly. “More like a rough year.”
The woman smiled, the lines around her eyes deepening with kindness. “Good thing love isn’t something we have to earn. God doesn’t give His love in scraps.”
Ellie looked down at her hands. "I feel like I'm never enough... for anyone."
The woman laid a gentle hand over Ellie’s wrist. “You are already loved more deeply than you can imagine. Not because of what you do. Because of who you are—created, chosen, delighted in. God's love teaches us what real love looks like—patient, kind, never giving up.”
The words settled into Ellie’s soul like soft rain into dry earth.
For a while they sat there, watching candles flicker against the storm-blurred windows. The old woman shared how she'd lost her husband decades ago but found new life in loving others through her church. “Love isn’t always about romance,” she said. “Sometimes it’s the strong arms that carry you when your legs give out. Sometimes it's the whisper in your heart reminding you you’re not alone.”
When Ellie left the church, the rain had softened into a mist. She caught her reflection in the side mirror—red eyes and all—but there was something new, too: a quiet light.
In her heart, hope began to bloom, fragile but fierce.
She realized love wasn’t something she had failed to find. Love—the real kind—had already found her, in a Savior who stayed, who saw every broken piece of her and still called her “beloved.” There would be healing, laughter, and new beginnings ahead. God was not finished with her story yet.
As Ellie drove home, the first split in the clouds revealed a shy hint of blue. And for the first time in months, she smiled, truly smiled, knowing she was held by a love that would never let her go.
—
Supporting Scripture:
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."
"And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us."
"The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing."
"But now, this is what the Lord says—he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: 'Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.'"
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another."
