There is a Calvin and Hobbes comic strip that depicts young Calvin marching into the family living room early one morning. His mother is seated in her favorite chair, sipping her morning coffee. She looks up, amused, at what she sees: Calvin's head encased in a large space helmet, a cape draped around his shoulders and dragging on the floor, one hand gripping a flashlight, the other a baseball bat.

"What's up today?" she asks.

"Nothing, so far," Calvin answers.

"So far?"

"Well, you never know," he says, marching off with great purpose. "Something could happen today. And if anything does, I'm going to be ready for it!"

In the final panel, Calvin's mom watches him go and says simply: "I need a suit like that."

Don't we all.

There is something almost theological about Calvin's posture — the combination of readiness, hope, and just enough equipment to feel brave. He doesn't know what the day holds. But he has decided, before anything has happened, that he will show up for it.

So often when we look at the world around us — the conflict, the suffering, the need that seems to stretch in every direction — we feel overwhelmed. We wonder what difference one person could possibly make.

The truth is, we can't do it all. But we can do something. And Paul reminds us that it matters: "Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." (1 Corinthians 15:58)

Not in vain. Even the small things. Even the quiet acts of kindness that no one notices. Even showing up, suited up, ready for whatever today might bring.

Prayer: Loving God, some days the need feels overwhelming and we don't know where to begin. Grant us faith — even the size of a mustard seed — that we would not lose hope. Show us the one thing we can do today. And remind us that it is ultimately your work, and that you are ever making all things new — even us. Amen.

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