Fearlessly Courageous
Desk of Dennis Piller
8 12 2026
The Email I Almost Deleted – What Grade Would You Give God?
The other morning started in a way I never expected.
I had decided it was finally time to clean out some old emails. (And yes…don’t pick on me. Some of them went all the way back to 2021.) As I was deleting them in bunches, I came across an email from a mother I know well.
She had written asking if I would reach out to her son. He was hurting. He had fallen away from God,
and she was carrying the burden that only a praying mother can carry.
Would I please call him?
As I sat there looking at that email, I honestly couldn’t remember if I had ever reached out to him five years ago. I was about to write the mother a quick note asking how he was doing when something inside me said, “No…don’t email her… Call him.”
So I did.
He had just gotten out of bed, and we talked for the first time in a couple of years. By the end of the conversation he told me he would come to our Courageous Men’s Group on August 17. He admitted he hadn’t been in church. He knew he needed this. I hung up the phone almost in tears.
Then I wrote his mom.
“I was cleaning out old emails and found your note from 2021. I almost emailed you to ask how your son was doing, but instead I felt like I should call him. I did…and he’s coming to our men’s group on August 17! He knows he needs this. I knew you would want to hear this because I know a mother’s heart never stops praying. God is so good.”
When I shared all of this with Dyan, she said something that stopped me. She said, “Look how your day started.”
Then she reminded me of everything we’d been walking through. The financial pressure. Her health. The uncertainty that has become such a regular part of our lives. Then she smiled and said, “What a wonderful way for God to start your day.”
Then she said something I don’t want to forget.
“Write that down.”
Not because she wanted me to remember an old email. She wanted me to remember God’s faithfulness. She said, “Think about yesterday. Look how many ways God showed up for me with my health. We ought to begin every day by writing down our blessings…our praise reports. Start making a list!”
I know she’s right. We are so quick to forget. Our praise reports get buried under a pile of…life.
In fact, I think we ought to become collectors of God’s fingerprints. Not just the big miracles, but the little ones too. The phone call you almost didn’t make. The unexpected encouragement. The answered prayer that looked completely ordinary until you realized God had been arranging the whole thing.
Here’s what really hit this morning. God didn’t simply answer that young man’s mother’s prayer. He answered something inside of me too. He reminded me that He is still working.
He is still pursuing prodigals. He is still speaking. Somehow, by asking me to make one simple phone call, He encouraged my own heart. Honestly it hit me so hard I wept when I got off the phone.
Maybe that’s why we miss God’s voice so often. We’re so focused on what He hasn’t done that we
completely overlook what He has been doing all along.
We keep looking for the next miracle while quietly forgetting yesterday’s blessings.
How often does that happen and we completely miss it?
We keep asking God, “Why aren’t You answering my prayers?” Meanwhile, He’s quietly answering dozens of them in ways we’ve never stopped long enough to notice.
That thought convicted me.
If I were completely honest, sometimes I almost give God an internal report card.
How has He done for me this week? Has He answered the prayers I wanted answered?
What grade would I give Him? It sounds ridiculous when you say it out loud.
But isn’t that exactly what we do, without saying it outloud?
We measure God’s goodness by whether He did what we wanted Him to do this week. I think… we’re using the wrong measuring stick. Maybe we should start every morning by asking a different question. “Father…where did You show up yesterday that I almost missed?”
I have a feeling the list would surprise us.
Go sit in a doctor’s office for thirty minutes. Watch the people around you. Look at the man who can barely walk. Listen to the woman who just received difficult news. Think about the family carrying burdens you know nothing about. I went to two funerals in one week. Suddenly your own problems begin to look different.
I remember feeling sorry for myself as a little boy because I was missing part of a finger and the other kids teased me about it. My mom would quietly say, “Dennis, look at the man with one leg. Look at the person who can’t speak after a stroke. Count your blessings instead of what you don’t have.”
I didn’t appreciate those words then. I do now… 100’s of times.
Maybe that’s one of the greatest disciplines of the Christian life. Not asking God every day, “What haven’t You done?” But reminding ourselves every day, “Look what You’ve already done.”
Because when we start counting our blessings instead of our disappointments,
we often discover that God has been far more active than we ever realized.
You Never gave up on me. Bates
Thank you for spending these few minutes with me today. My prayer is that these devotionals don’t simply give you something to think about, but draw you into a deeper love for Jesus Christ.
If someone forwarded this devotional to you and you’d like to receive future devotionals each week, you can subscribe here:
If you’d like to go even deeper, I’d love to invite you to join me beginning Tuesday, September 1st, for my free six-week online course, Discovering Jesus. We’ll meet Tuesday evenings from 7:00–8:30 p.m. as we explore the foundational truths of our faith and, more importantly, deepen our relationship with Christ. You’re welcome to invite your spouse, family members, friends, or neighbors. I’ll provide all of the materials at no charge. Just let me know.
Until next time, keep your eyes on Jesus…because He truly is the Treasure.
Leave a Comment