Seek First…

There’s a verse that has been echoing in my heart: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33)

We often quote this verse as a beautiful reminder that God provides when we put Him first. And it’s true. But I’m learning that this scripture takes on a whole new meaning in the valleys of life. Seeking the Kingdom isn’t just a mountaintop discipline…it’s a lifeline when the ground has crumbled beneath you.

Seeking the Kingdom doesn’t always look like what we expect. It’s not always neat, tidy, or Instagram-worthy.

Sometimes, it looks like tear-stained carpet when your prayers are less like eloquent words and more like broken sobs.

Sometimes, it looks like holding onto a casket far too small and realizing that faith has to reach deeper than your understanding.

Sometimes, it looks like just putting both feet on the floor in the morning, choosing to show up so your children can see that you’re still trying…and if you can, maybe they can too.

This is what I’m discovering: seeking the Kingdom isn’t about perfection. It’s not about pretending I’m fine when I’m not. It’s about showing up with all of me…the pretty and the not-so-pretty, and laying it at His feet. God doesn’t ask for the polished parts of my story….He asks for all of me.

In my grief, I’ve started to recognize something small but sacred: my “little joys” are part of seeking the Kingdom.

A moment of laughter I didn’t expect.

A sunset that stops me in my tracks.

A song that reminds me of His goodness in the middle of my pain.

A memory that makes me both ache and smile at the same time.

These little joys aren’t distractions. They’re anchors. They are reminders that God is still present, even when life feels unbearable. They are proof that His Kingdom is still breaking through into my everyday. And they are teaching me that faithfulness in the little things…faithfulness in choosing to look for Him, even in the dark…opens the door for Him to add all the other things I need.

The Bible tells us, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much.” (Luke 16:10) I used to read that verse only in terms of stewardship…money, resources, opportunities. But now I see it differently.

Being faithful in the “little” looks like being faithful in my small offerings of trust. It looks like whispering prayers when words fail. It looks like sitting quietly with God in the middle of grief and saying, “I don’t understand, but I’m still here.” It looks like choosing gratitude for one small joy, even when sorrow outweighs it.

And in return, God proves Himself faithful in the “much”…the much bigger grace, the much stronger peace, the much deeper strength that I could never muster on my own.

This season has also reminded me of something I’ve been learning in my Bible study: we were made for more. Not more striving. Not more perfection. But more of Him.

Grief tries to convince us that life is over, that purpose is gone, that joy is buried too deep to find. But the Kingdom of God whispers a different truth, you were made for more than this pain. You were made for His presence, His promises, and His purposes.

Being “made for more” doesn’t mean I’ll never walk through hard valleys. It means that even in the valley, I’m not defined by the darkness…I’m defined by the One who walks with me through it. Seeking His Kingdom is how I lean into that truth. It’s how I remember that my story is not finished, because His story in me is not finished.

Here’s what I know: seeking the Kingdom first doesn’t erase the pain. It doesn’t make grief disappear. It doesn’t put life back together in the way I wish it could be. But it does something almost as miraculous.

It makes the unbearable… bearable.

It makes the impossible… possible.

It makes the overwhelming… survivable.

The small joys God plants in the middle of the storm become the threads of hope I cling to. They don’t erase the loss, but they remind me that loss doesn’t get the final word. His Kingdom does.

So I hold onto this truth: in all the journey…especially in the not-so-pretty parts…seek the Kingdom. Even when it looks like messy tears and shaky steps. Even when it feels like more questions than answers. Even when my offering is simply showing up, one breath, one step, one prayer at a time.

Because He sees it all. And He promises that if we give Him our everything, He will add what we cannot.

And maybe that’s the Kingdom breaking through…in the little joys, in the quiet strength, in the grace that meets us right where we are. Because even in grief, even in weakness, even in my “not-so-pretty”…I was made for more. And so were you.