CULTIVATING A LIFE YOU LOVE

Six Biblical Rhythms for Nurturing What Matters Most

It’s easy to spend our days faithfully caring for everyone and everything around us while slowly losing sight of what matters most.

Cultivating a Life You Love is a six-part Habits of Hope podcast series designed to help you reconnect with God’s presence, practice intentional Christian living, nurture what matters most, and become more present in the life you’re already living.

Through Scripture, practical encouragement, and simple Habits of Hope, you’ll discover that the life you love isn’t something you find someday—it’s one you cultivate with God, one faithful step at a time.

Cultivate a life you love by nurturing what matters most.

Part 1: Paying Attention to What Matters Most

The life you long for is shaped in the life you’re living today.

It’s easy to believe that a meaningful life begins when circumstances change or when we finally have more time. But Scripture invites us to something different. God meets us in today’s ordinary moments, and a life we love is cultivated one faithful choice at a time.

The first rhythm of this series is Notice. Paying attention is more than slowing down—it’s learning to recognize God’s presence, His gifts, and His work in the middle of everyday life. When we live with greater attentiveness, we begin to see opportunities for gratitude, relationships worth nurturing, and the quiet ways God is leading us.

“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.”
Ephesians 5:15–16 (NIV)

Rather than letting busyness or distraction determine the direction of our days, we can choose to live wisely by paying attention to what matters most. Small moments of attentiveness become habits of hope that shape the kind of life we’re becoming. Listen to episode 81 for the full content. 

Part 2: Receive: Resting in the Care of Your Shepherd

You were never meant to carry life alone.

It’s easy to become so accustomed to caring for others, carrying responsibilities, and pushing through that running on empty begins to feel normal. But intentional Christian living isn’t simply about what we do or accomplish. God also invites us to trust His care and receive what He provides.

The second rhythm of this series is Receive. Psalm 23 gives us a beautiful picture of God as our Shepherd—the One who leads, provides, and restores. Receiving His care means acknowledging our limits, releasing what we were never meant to carry alone, and making room for God to meet us in the places where we are weary or depleted.

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.”
Psalm 23:1–3 (ESV)

We don’t restore our own souls. The Shepherd does. Receiving His care is an act of faith—a willingness to trust that He knows what we need and will faithfully lead us. As we learn to receive rather than continually strive, we make space for God to restore and strengthen us so we can be more present in the life we’re living today. Listen to episode 82 for the full content.

Continue the journey with the Cultivating a Life You Love Devotional Journal, created to help you reflect on each of the six rhythms, spend time in Scripture, and put what you’re learning into practice in your everyday life.

Part 3: Being More Present with the People in Your Life

We can spend a lot of time with the people we love and still miss what’s really going on with them. When conversations become mostly about schedules, responsibilities, and managing life, it’s easy for familiarity to replace attentiveness.

In Episode 3, discover what Philippians 1:9 teaches us about a love that continues to grow. We’ll explore how paying attention, asking good questions, and listening well can help us move beyond routine and build more meaningful, engaged relationships.

Because familiarity isn’t the finish line of love. The people we love are still growing—and love keeps getting to know them.

This episode’s Habit of Hope is simple: ask good questions and really listen. The Good Questions Conversation Cards were created to help you put that into practice with 48 thoughtful prompts for more meaningful conversations with the people you love.

Part 4: Stop Waiting for Someday

It’s easy to look ahead to the life we hope to have someday—the trip we want to take, the home project we want to finish, the people we want to spend more time with, or the season when life finally feels less demanding. But when we compare today’s gifts with tomorrow’s dreams, we can miss the good God has already placed in front of us.

 “This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

Psalm 118:24 (ESV)

Gladness doesn’t mean pretending life is easy or giving up on the dreams we’re still waiting for. It means embracing today as a gift from God and recognizing His goodness in the life we’re actually living.

Sometimes the smallest version of a dream is still a beautiful experience. A day trip instead of the big vacation. Flowers on the porch instead of the finished backyard. One simple invitation for soup with a friend instead of the perfectly planned dinner party. Choosing progress over perfection helps us enjoy what is possible in this season rather than waiting for everything to be just right.

Don’t let the pursuit of perfect rob you of the present. Ask God to help you recognize and embrace the gifts He has already placed in your hands today. Some dreams may need to wait, but life doesn’t. Listen to episode 84 for the full content.