Jesus was in the parking lot

I knew I shouldn't say anything. We were already late. But as we rushed through the parking lot toward the front doors of Church, I mentioned the caterpillar on the ground to my six-year-old granddaughter. My husband groaned. Because he knew what was about to happen. He knew she would stop. He knew she would want to inspect it. He knew there was no way she would pass it by. Because this girl has loved bugs from the time she could walk.  

So, when I pointed out the caterpillar doing its own version of rushing across the parking lot, she immediately stopped. She went over to see it. And she decided she needed to save it.

"We can't leave it here," she told me when I said we didn't have time.  

"It'll be fine," I told her, "It's moving fast."

"It has a long way to go. Someone else could step on it."

Now, if this girl could save every bug and give it a home, she would. Last year we had tomato hornworms overtaking our garden. To us they were pests. Nothing more than a nuisance.

But she was in awe. She caught one. And talked to it. And gave it a name. 

"Wormy."

To her Wormy wasn't a pest. Or an inconvenience. Or a nuisance.

To her he was amazing. And interesting. And worthy of everything good. 

Just like the caterpillar in front of us now. She saw its worth too. 

"We're late," my husband reminded again. 

I knew if I left that caterpillar on the pavement, my granddaughter would not be able to stop thinking about it. And for this little bug lover to worry about its sure death while we were in Church, was not an option for me.

But I needed this rescue operation to happen quickly.

Because the urgency we felt over our lateness was getting bigger by the second. 

I found a piece of paper in my purse and helped little Miss M'aam pick it up. I grabbed her hand and started walking to the tree line next to us. The same direction the caterpillar had been coming from. 

"He wasn't going that way," she said matter-of-factly. "He was going over there," she pointed across the parking lot five times the distance from where I wanted to place him. 

I looked at my son. The one who is starting his first year as a second-grade teacher in two weeks. He just smiled. Because he knew what I was facing. She, after all, was one of the main reasons he wanted to be a teacher.

I shook my head and said nothing. There were no words. I knew the caterpillar had not been heading where I wanted to put him. But wasn't getting him to safety enough? Was this even our problem?

My mind did all the calculations in hyper speed. The easy way. Or the one that would bring peace to a six-year-old heart.

I grabbed her hand and started navigating through the parked cars, holding my breath that the now rolled up caterpillar didn't fall off the paper before we completed our journey. 

Because then we would be faced with a whole other set of things to explain. 

And being late would be the least of our concerns. 

Thankfully the caterpillar held on like a champ and found a new spot in the grass. 

As we finally walked into Church and sat down, I thought about something. My granddaughter is much too young to understand everything that happens inside that building. And God doesn't just dwell inside those walls.

But she has a firm grasp on helping those around her. And doing what she's able to do without worrying about everything else.  

She finds worth in what others may think is worthless.

She isn't satisfied with taking the easy way. Not when it matters.

She looks for the good. And just as importantly, wants the good, for everyone and everything.

She loves with her whole heart. 

Just as Jesus asks us to do.

She may not understand it all, but I realized her heart radiates His message.   

And I'd be good to slow down sometimes and respond more like her.

Because Jesus was right there in that parking lot. 

And little Miss M'aam wasn't about to pass Him by.

                                                     Saving the caterpillar in the parking lot 

                                                        "Wormy"

 

 Colleen LaQuay Urbaniuk @thegiftofmondays

In all your ways acknowledge God

In all. In everything. In every moment. In every detail. May I acknowledge You, Lord. May I give You honor. May every song I sing. May every word I speak. May everything that comes out of my mouth be pleasing to You. I pray there will be no gossip today. No criticism. No perversion that comes from my lips. May I set nothing before my eyes that brings You shame. May I not live as if my god is social media. May I not seek my worth from the world. May I not attempt to be anyone other than who You created me to be. May I find peace in Your promises. And comfort in Your presence. When You say “all”, let me understand You mean ALL. Not just part. Not just sometimes. Not just on good days. You want all of me. Every day. Forgive me Lord, when I only give You part. When I only acknowledge You in pieces. May this day be different. May going forth I be set apart. May I acknowledge You in ALL my ways. From this day and forever more. 

In Jesus’ Name I pray.

Colleen LaQuay Urbaniuk

@thegiftofmondays

Are you walking towards evil? Turn around and walk back towards God

What we watch. What we read. Where we go.

That’s our highway. 

That’s the road we’re traveling. That’s the path we’re pursuing. 

The people we surround ourselves with. The influence they have over our lives. The words we speak when we’re around them. 

Every choice we make. Everything and everyone we listen to. 

Become our daily direction. Develop into our earthly pursuit. 

God asks us to avoid evil. And yet we run to it. We justify it. 

“It’s only a book,” we tell ourselves. “It’s just a movie.” “It’s not that deep,” we argue. 

And yet it is.

Evil is evil. 

In all forms. 

You don’t have to commit it, to be a part of it. 

If you let it in, you’ve opened the door to allow satan in. And he only needs a crack to slip through. One moment. One weakness. One justification of how it won’t hurt you. 

All takes you away from God.

Pay attention to what you’re singing. Focus on what you’re reading. Think twice about what you’re watching. And consider who you allow access to your day. 

Avoid evil. Guard your way. Guard your heart. Guard your life. 

God is faithful. He won't desert you.

Turn around. 

And start walking back to Him.

Colleen LaQuay Urbaniuk
www.thegiftofmondays.com 

In God I have put my trust

In God.

Not in social media. Not in self-help books. Not in the news.

In God.

In His Word.

In His truth.

That’s where my trust is. That’s where I get my hope. That’s where I find my peace.

I can’t say I believe His promises and then ignore them. I can’t say He is my all and then put my all in something else. I can’t quote scripture and then speak lies.

If my faith is in God, then my faith needs to stay in God.

It doesn’t matter what someone else says. It doesn’t matter what someone else does.

My eyes stay on Him.

My actions stay with Him.

My heart stays with Him.

The world will try to deceive us. It will try to divide us. It will try to destroy us.

But our hope is not in this world.

It should never be in this world.

He has given us the answer. He has provided the way.

When the enemy attacks. When the storms threaten. When the darkness comes.

He is where we plant our feet.

He is where we make our stand.

He is where we place our trust.

Colleen LaQuay Urbaniuk

www.thegiftofmondays.com

2026

Keep your head in all situations

It’s easy to get caught up in our emotions. We think our way is the right way. That our opinion is the right one. That our way of doing things is the best and only way. We argue our case. And justify our reactions. We get angry. We shake our fists. We become bitter. All in the name of believing we are right. And someone else is wrong. In trying to prove our point, we have pushed God aside. We may say we are standing in His Name, but in truth we are not standing for Him at all. We are standing for what we believe we are owed. We are standing for what we think should be happening. We are standing for what we want without ever consulting Him. Our beliefs. Our desires. Our way. If it’s not happening how we want it to happen, we take it into our own hands. We will yell. We will cuss. We will condemn. All in the Name of Jesus. As if that’s what He commanded. As if that’s what He wants. Oh Lord, forgive us our arrogance. Forgive our self-important attitude. Forgive all the desires in us to “be” right, instead of “do” right. Forgive when we make it about us instead of You. Forgive us when our actions divide. Help us to see that we aren’t bringing people to You, we’re pushing them away. And even worse, we think they don’t belong anyway. We’ve allowed our hearts to become the judge and the jury. We’ve allowed bitterness to become who we are. Forgive us, Lord. Change our hearts. Help us be the ones who can keep our head in all situations. Not just the ones we believe are right. May our greatest desire be to bring You glory. In Jesus’ Name we pray. 

Be strong in the Lord

Be strong in the Lord. Be strong in His power. Be strong in His might. When the storm comes. When the rain falls. When the enemy threatens. Hold fast to the Lord. Believe in His promises. Find comfort in His Words. He has not left you. He will not forsake you. No matter what has happened. No matter how it looks. No matter what was done. He is still there. Turning bad into good. Healing the sick. Showing the way. Your strength will never come from this world. But you still seek it there. Still go running after it. Still put your faith in it. It may temporarily give you peace. But lasting peace. Lasting hope. Lasting strength. Only comes from God. You won’t find it anywhere else. He knows what the doctors said. He heard the lawyers speak. He understands what the bank is doing. He sees the people who have walked away. The ones who have betrayed. The ones who planned evil for your life. He sees what you have lost. What you’re scared of. How you’re fighting to go on. Right now you are trying to be strong in everything of this world. But that’s not His way. And that way will never work. He’s asked you. He’s reminded you. He’s promised you. Not to be strong in the world. But to be strong in Him.

Colleen LaQuay Urbaniuk

@thegiftofmondays.com

Easter Week Devotional - He has risen, just as He said

Just as He said. Jesus told them He would defeat death. He told them He would overcome sin. He told them He was the Son of God. Everything He said was the truth. His Words were true then. And His Words are true now. The same joy, that the women who went to the tomb felt, is our joy. The same desire, they had to tell others, is our desire. “He is not here; He has risen,” the Angel told them. And just as they rejoiced then, we rejoice now. Because His message wasn’t just for them. It was for us. His life. His death. His resurrection. It was all for us. Today we are reminded that everything He did. And everything He does. Was for us. His coming back was EVERYTHING. He finished what He came for. To give us hope. And a future. Lord, thank You for the gift we don’t deserve. Thank You for making a way. We are not worthy, but You are. Lord, You’ve given us everything. Please help us to live as if it means everything to us. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen.

REFLECTION:

Do you believe that the Word of God is still true today?

How does it make you feel to know Jesus was willing to die for you?

What can you do this week so that someone else sees Jesus in you?

PRAYER:

Dear Lord,

Thank You for this day and another opportunity to do Your will. Thank You for forgiving us our sins. Thank You for knowing we would need You. Thank you for sending Jesus, Your very own Son, so we would have a way to spend eternity with You. Help us Lord, as we go out into the world, to not become like it. Give us the determination we need to seek You first. To not care about the opinions of others. To have courage in the face of adversity. To stand up for You, even if no one else stands. Help us to remember Your love for us. Your sacrifice. Your promises. Thank You for doing what You said You would do. May we live in the confidence of knowing You have always, and will always, keep Your Word. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.

Colleen LaQuay Urbaniuk

2026

www.thegiftofmondays.com