THE ONE THING YOU CAN DO

A Holy Call to Love When Everything Else Fails

There comes a place in life, beloved, where a man quietly realizes…

there are things he cannot fix.

Not because he lacks faith.
Not because he hasn’t prayed.
Not because he hasn’t tried.

But because some things simply sit outside the reach of human hands.

You cannot go back and step into yesterday.
You cannot rewrite a conversation that already took place.
You cannot gather up the fragments of time and put them back where they once were.

You cannot make someone understand your heart.
You cannot soften a will that has chosen hardness.
You cannot make yourself loved where love has been withheld.

You cannot repair every consequence.
You cannot erase every scar.
You cannot undo what has already unfolded.

There are doors that will not reopen.
Moments that will not return.
Opportunities that passed quietly while you were still becoming who you are.

You cannot force healing into your body.
You cannot command strength into your soul on demand.
You cannot control outcomes, no matter how deeply you care.

And perhaps one of the hardest things of all…

You cannot make things fair.

You cannot make truth immediately visible.
You cannot always clear your name.
You cannot stop people from believing what they have already decided.

And when all of this settles in…
when it finally lands…

it has a way of bringing the heart low.

Not in despair…
but in honesty.

A quiet place.
A surrendered place.

Where the soul whispers,
“There is so much I cannot do.”

And yet…

right there—
not before, but right there—

something holy begins to rise.

Not loud.
Not dramatic.
But steady. 

The revelation comes of what you can do.

You can love Him! 

You can still love Him.

No one can take that from you.

No circumstance can cancel that offering.
No disappointment can strip that privilege away.

You can love the Lord your God with all your heart…
even when your hands feel empty.

You can turn toward Him when everything else feels uncertain.
You can give Him your affection, your attention, your devotion.

Not because life is easy…
but because He is worthy.

“‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’”
— Matthew 22:37 (NKJV)

There is something deeply freeing about this.

You are no longer trapped by what you cannot control.

You are anchored in what you can give.

Love. 

Simple.
Pure.
Undistracted.

And as you begin to love Him like this… something changes.

Not always around you at first—
but within you.

The heart softens again.

The sharp edges begin to lose their grip.
The tightness begins to release.

And then… quietly… almost unnoticed…

His love begins to move through you.

Not as effort.
Not as performance.

But as life.

“Love suffers long and is kind…”
— 1 Corinthians 13:4 (NKJV)

It keeps showing up…
even when it isn’t returned.

It stays gentle…
even when misunderstood.

It refuses to harden…
even when wounded.

“Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
— 1 Corinthians 13:7 (NKJV)

Beloved, this is the deeper life.

Not a life where everything works out neatly…

But a life where love remains.

You begin to love people you once avoided.
You begin to feel tenderness where there was once resistance.
You begin to carry others in your heart—not because they deserve it, but because He placed it there.

You love the overlooked.
The difficult.
The ones who never say thank you.

You love those who misunderstood you.
Those who walked away.
Even those who spoke against you.

“But I say to you, love your enemies…”
— Matthew 5:44 (NKJV)

And something beautiful happens here.

You begin to look like Him.

Not in strength.
Not in control.

But in love.

A quiet resemblance.

A life that says without words,
“Christ lives here.”

WHERE LOVE RETURNS

Come close for a moment, dear one.

Let everything else fade into the background.

All the things you cannot change…
all the places where you felt powerless…
all the quiet disappointments you’ve been carrying…

Just bring them with you.

No need to fix them right now.

Just come.

And listen…

Jesus is not standing over you with a list.

He is standing near you with open arms.

Not asking you to control your own life…
but inviting you to love Him again.

Have you felt your heart grow tired?
A little guarded…
a little distant…
a little worn from trying to hold everything together?

Then this is your moment.

Right where you are…

turn your heart toward Him.

You don’t need the perfect words.

Just something honest.

“Jesus… I still love You.”

Say it again.

Let it come from somewhere deeper than routine.

And if tears begin to rise… let them.

Those are not just emotions.

That is the heart remembering.

“Lord… I cannot fix everything…
but I give You my love again.”

And as you do…

something begins to open.

The presence of God draws near.
The heart softens.
The burden loosens its grip.

And love…
fresh, real, and alive…
begins to burn again.

The world may remain unchanged in your hands—but your heart can burn with love for Christ, and through that fire, His love will reach places you never could.

“And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
— 1 Corinthians 13:13 (NKJV)

With Love,
Steve Porter
www.morningglorydevo.com

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