You’re Invited - Encouragement for Today - September 23, 2025

Encouragement for Today

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Crosswalk.com

Abby Kuykendall September 23, 2025

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV)

I had been feeling the ache of loneliness for weeks — maybe longer. I prayed for connection, hoped someone would notice me, and waited for the invitations to roll in.

But silence lingered.

One empty chair at my kitchen table seemed to echo what I was afraid to admit out loud: I don’t feel like I belong anywhere.

At first, I tried to fix my loneliness with distractions: baking something cute, scrolling Pinterest for centerpiece ideas, and fluffing the throw pillows in case someone dropped by. But the loneliness didn’t budge.

Then I read Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

King Solomon, known for his unmatched wisdom, vast wealth, and influence, wrote those words. At the height of his reign, Solomon had everything. Yet even he concluded that the only path worth walking is the one God directs.

Solomon likely saw how easily human logic can lead to loneliness, isolation, and disobedience. Through it all, he came to these three conclusions:

Trust God.
Submit with your whole heart.
Don’t rely on what you think you know.

That word “trust” in verse 5 stopped me. Not “hustle,” “impress,” or “grasp for control.”

Trust, submit, and obey.

That’s when I felt the nudge to invite someone over, not to fix my loneliness but to follow God’s lead. It would not be the Pinterest-perfect kind of hosting with themed napkins and curated desserts, but it would be the kind of hospitality Jesus practiced. The kind that makes space for people.

So I texted a neighbor I barely knew, made soup, and lit a candle. When she arrived, it didn’t magically cure my loneliness, but something shifted. I felt seen. Not necessarily by her but by God.

That’s what obedience does. It may not erase the ache, but it opens the door for healing.

The truth is that more online followers or prettier tablescapes can’t solve loneliness. But there’s hope in the sacred space of surrender. Obedience isn’t always loud or public. Sometimes it looks like setting one extra place at your table, even when your heart feels empty.

Hospitality, in its truest form, isn’t about showing off. It’s about showing up for others, for yourself, and most of all for God. The table doesn’t have to be full for God to be faithful. He’s already there, in the quiet, in the ache, in the trust it takes to say “yes” to the invitation.

Even Solomon knew that trust is the only plan. He saw what happened when people leaned on their understanding, and he learned firsthand that obedience to God is the only path that leads to peace.

If the wisest man on earth needed to submit his plans to God, surely we can too. Even if it starts with nothing more than an empty chair and a mustard seed of faith (Matthew 17:20).

Father, remind me that You see me. Give me the courage to obey when it’s easier to retreat. Use my small acts of faith to build the kind of community that reflects Your love. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

OUR FAVORITE THINGS

For more stories and biblical insights about building a rich and connected life that has little to do with the perfect tapas board, see Abby’s book, Let The Biscuits Burn: Cultivating Real-Life Hospitality in a World Craving Connection.

ENGAGE

Feeling alone and unsure where to start? Head over to www.AbbyKuykendall.com for more resources, follow Abby on Instagram @Abby.Kuykendall, or listen to her new podcast released in summer 2025, called Let the Biscuits Burn.

Enter to WIN your very own copy of Let the Biscuits Burn by Abby Kuykendall. To celebrate this book, Abby’s publisher will give away 5 copies! Enter to win by filling out the form here. {We’ll randomly select 5 winners and notify them via email by Monday, September 29, 2025.}

FOR DEEPER STUDY

Romans 12:10-13, “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality” (ESV).

Jeremiah 17:7-8, “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit” (ESV).

What’s one area where obedience to God feels hard right now? How might hospitality be an act of obedience in this season? Share with us in the comments!