When Love Feels Too Small

Published about 1 month ago • 4 min read

July 1, 2026 | Issue #16

“Mary therefore took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume” (John 12:3).

Doing What We Can

Hi Reader!

Mary had just seen Jesus raise her brother, Lazarus, from the dead. That miracle was a tipping point for the religious establishment. Worried that Jesus would usurp their power, “from that day on they planned together to kill Him” (John 11:53).

Mary must have understood the cost Jesus would pay for helping her family. So she did what she could: She stayed with Him. Poured out her expensive sacrifice, a pre-burial anointing that demonstrated how much He meant to her.

It didn’t save Jesus. It didn’t stop the cruel persecution that would murder the Son of God. It simply said, “Thank You. I am grateful. And I am here.”

It might have been easier for Mary to look away. To pretend there was no link between the trouble Jesus was in and her family’s legendary miracle. To skip town for a few days, avoiding the emotional weight.

But she sat with the pain of what lay ahead for Jesus. She gave Him her presence. Her expensive perfume--high-value proof that she cared.

Sometimes, we face cliffs too high to climb. Weights too heavy to lift. Challenges so overwhelming that our mustard-seed faith seems laughable.

Other times, it's someone else.

“‘Lord, when did we see You.... sick or in prison and go to visit You?’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these My brethren, you did for Me.’” (Matt. 25:37-40).

That’s how closely Jesus identifies with our suffering. When we stay with someone in their pain, He says we're doing it for Him.

We may feel we can't do anything. Just being there seems useless. But love calls us to stay. The humble decision to show up can make all the difference for someone who's hurting.

Jesus does the same for us:

"'And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age'" (Matthew 28:20).

Did you stay with someone in their pain? How did it help? Hit reply to share!

Life Lately

Practice night at Arthur Murray Dance Studio. I think this was the waltz. Don't look for us on Dancing with the Stars, lol!

I met up with some friends for a walk. Friendships forged in trials last a long time!

We're moving my parents closer. This involves driving through Steinbeck country - the beautiful Salinas Valley.

Writing News

I got swallowed up in the marketing learning curve for Sons from Afar, so I haven't written fiction for a while.

But I've been thinking about a sequel to either Sons from Afar or Wonders in the Deep - or both!

I just read Fiction Is Folks by Robert Newton Peck, published in 1983. It's so good! Peck teaches how to write unforgettable characters. I wanted to drop everything and go create a few! And then get them busy with unsurmountable problems, difficult relationships, and so on.

45 Master Characters is another book that explores character archetypes based on Greek mythology. I plan to use the two books together.

Marketing includes social media, and that can be quite a distraction. If, like me, you've been getting stuck on a screen, check out Ryan Mak's YouTube channel. He's a strong Christian and a neuroscience student (I think...).

His video on fixing a damaged attention span through biblical principles was life-changing for me. I didn't realize how much scrolling on social media sites had shortened my attention span, even away from my phone.

In other news, (see what I did there? :D ) ARC readers have their copies of Sons from Afar. Next, I'll post it on Goodreads, where they can leave reviews ahead of publication. Thank you so much, if you're one of these wonderful readers!

It's not too late, by the way. If you're interested in joining the ARC team, click here! You'll get a free digital copy of Sons from Afar for your Kindle or other reading device.

Prayer

Let's pray for anyone in our lives who needs the Lord's comfort.

Father, sometimes we feel so helpless. But we look to You. We want to love our hurting neighbors. Only You can really love others the way they need, through us.

Please give us the courage to change what we can. To do what we can, no matter how small it may seem. Please bless our efforts and comfort those in our lives who need Your touch.

In Christ's name,

Amen.

Life-Changing Fiction

Find a variety of Christian books in this promo, from deep encouragement to clean, light-hearted romance, and a retelling of Esther!

Here you'll find some free Christian books, both fiction and non-fiction. These are review copies, meaning you get them free with the hope that you'll leave a review when the book is launched. Enjoy!

More from Columba...

Join my team to spread the word about Sons from Afar! Get a free pre-published copy of Sons from Afar. Your review on Amazon or Goodreads would help on launch day. Thanks, and God bless you!

Did you get the freebie I'm offering, By His Grace? Click the button below to download it! Once you've downloaded the EPUB file, follow these easy instructions to pop it on your device and start reading!

When you've downloaded the EPUB file, make sure it's in your Downloads folder.
Go to https://amazon.com/sendtokindle (You'll have to type it in. I couldn't find this page by clicking around Amazon.)
Are you on Amazon's "Send to Kindle" page? Great!
Click the button that says, "Select files from device." In the popup window, navigate to your Downloads folder.
You should see the By His Grace EPUB file. Click on it and use the "Send" button to upload your short story to your Amazon library.
Now, you can access By His Grace from anywhere you have the Kindle app installed. Have fun!