Imagine you’re in the middle of a busy store right before the start of another school year. You can feel the nervous energy and the excitement all at the same time. But then you look over—and you see it.

The sweetest, most unexpected sight.

A 13-year-old young man, standing still in the middle of it all, head bowed, deep in prayer with a stranger.

That young man was Ezekiel.

There he was, alongside his new friend, standing not just in the middle of Sam’s Club—but in the presence of God. And among the crowd of bystanders was someone who recognized him immediately: his mom.

Moments earlier, she thought she had lost him. She’d been checking items off the back-to-school shopping list, wondering where he wandered off to. But when she found him, she realized why he hadn’t been keeping up.

He was doing something far more important.

She came to the store that day with a list in her hand, but God gave her something she didn’t even know she needed: perspective.

How often do we rush from one thing to another—focused, busy, distracted—while missing what matters most?

Jesus put it plainly:

“You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. ... A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
— Matthew 22:37, 39 (NLT)

That’s it. That’s the heart of it all.

Ezekiel heads back to school this week—but something tells me, he just took all of us back to class.

I know I needed this, and I hope it inspires you too.

With love,

Your friend,

Reyna Reyna

P.S.

When I asked Ezekiel’s mom, Mayra, how she raised such a kind and courageous young man, her answer was refreshingly simple—and deeply wise. “We stay involved in our local church,” she said. “They go to youth group—and I don’t give them the option to go or not.”

Want to hear the awesome call? Listen here: Rachelle and Carder gave Ezekiel an unforgettable call!

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