The Reason to Get Out of Bed

By Mark Mierzejewski


Each morning, the alarm sounds, and we’re faced with the weight of the day—work demands, family responsibilities, and the endless tasks of life. It’s tempting to dream of escaping to a tropical island, to wish for a break from the grind. But reality pulls us back, reminding us that if we don’t get up, the life we’ve built for our families might crumble. For many, this fear is the only fuel to face the day’s challenges—work, home, repeat. But, this isn’t living; it’s merely surviving.


God calls us to so much more! He has placed within each of us a spark of joy, a passion that energizes our soul. For me, it’s the peace of fishing in my kayak in a quiet pond, the thrill of a hike through God’s creation, or the satisfaction of tending a garden. For others, it’s a round of golf, a refreshing workout, or laughter shared with a  friend. These joys aren’t frivolous—they’re gifts from God, woven into our hearts to help us delight in His creation and live healthy, vibrant lives. Embrace them, for they remind us that God desires for us to be  joyful.


But as followers of Christ, we’re called to an even greater purpose. An ultimate reason to rise each morning! God has given each of us unique gifts and talents, not just for our own enjoyment, but to build His kingdom and shine His light in a broken world.


Let’s be honest—sometimes, as seasoned Christians, we can grow numb to familiar truths like John 3:16. The words are beautiful, but do we still feel their weight? God loved us so much that He took on human form, lived a sinless life, and endured a horrific death on the cross—not because we deserved it, but because of His unconditional love. Every day, we should wake with gratitude for this incredible gift of grace, a gift that paves the way to eternal joy we could never earn.


This gratitude is our motivation to live boldly for Christ. It might look like helping a struggling neighbor, spending extra time in prayer and Scripture, or staying open to how God can use you in the moment—a kind word, an attentive ear, a helping hand. When we start each day with a heart full of appreciation for what Christ has done, we become more aware of how God can use our unique gifts to serve a world drifting further from Him.


Let’s not settle for surviving. Let’s rise each morning with purpose, energized by the joy of God’s creation and the privilege of being His hands and feet. Let’s use our gifts to heal, to love, and to draw others closer to Him. That is the reason to get out of bed—to live fully for the One who gave everything for us, and to make a difference in a world that desperately needs His love.


Wrestling with Tough Questions: 

Did God Stack the Deck Against Us?

By: Mark Mierzejewski


As a kid, I was fascinated by big questions: Did Adam have a belly button? Can God make a rock too big for Him to lift? These puzzles sparked my curiosity, especially as a science-minded person hungry for answers. As I grew older, my questions deepened: How did the universe begin? How could energy, space, time, and matter emerge from nothing? These weren’t just intellectual exercises—they were personal quests to understand life’s mysteries.


When I became a Christian, I felt called to bridge my love for science with my faith. Apologetics became my passion, a way to connect these two worlds and provide answers for myself and others. But I noticed a pattern when talking with skeptics, especially atheists. Many objections boiled down to, “If I can’t understand it, it must be impossible.” Pride often stood in the way of taking the next step toward faith.


Then I looked inward and saw the same struggle in myself. Some biblical claims—like the Immaculate Conception, Jesus’ miracles, or the Trinity—defied my grasp. For years, this frustrated me. But as I matured, spent more time in Scripture, and witnessed others wrestle with faith, I began to see things differently. What if God’s wisdom is so far beyond ours that we’re not meant to fully comprehend it? What if our limitations, and even our pride, point us toward humility?


The Bible is filled with stories that don’t align with human logic—stories no human would invent. Every man-made religion offers explanations that fit neatly within our reasoning. But the Bible, inspired by God through human hands, is different. Its 66 books are packed with accounts that challenge our understanding, from miracles to the mystery of original sin. Maybe that’s the point. God’s ways transcend ours, and His love surpasses anything we can imagine.


One question I often hear is, “Did God create us with original sin, only to demand we be good? Isn’t that stacking the deck against us?” It’s a tough one, and I don’t claim to have all the answers. But I’ve come to trust that God, who loves us unconditionally, isn’t setting us up to fail. The doctrine of original sin points to our need for grace, not a divine setup for failure. Scripture tells us God’s love is perfect (1 John 4:8), and His plans are for our good (Jeremiah 29:11). Even when I can’t fully understand, I trust the Creator of the universe has reasons rooted in love.


When faced with hard questions—like why a newborn suffers or why evil exists—I’ve learned to lean into humility. My understanding will always fall short, but God’s doesn’t. His love is the foundation of every answer, even the ones I can’t yet see. And that’s enough for me to keep wrestling, keep seeking, and keep trusting.


Why I Believe In A Higher Power

By Mark Mierzejewski


Growing up, I always had a vague sense that there was something bigger out there—call it God, a higher power, or something else entirely. Church was a regular part of my family life, a comforting routine of Sunday morning homilies and communion, but as a kid, I didn’t give it much thought. It was just something we did, like eating dinner together or cheering for our favorite team. 


But in high school, something shifted. Life started to feel like a treadmill: go to school, get a job, grow old, and then… what? The idea that this was all there was felt empty, and I began searching for purpose, for something that made sense of it all. I could say my belief in a higher power came from some grand intellectual journey, where I meticulously studied every world religion and concluded that Christianity was the only one that held up under scrutiny. But that wouldn’t be true. My story is less about logic and more about the heart. It’s messy, personal, and deeply human. 


What sparked my curiosity was watching my sisters. They found something real—a deep, transformative connection with the God of the Bible. Their lives changed in ways I couldn’t ignore. They had a peace, a purpose, that I envied. It made me wonder: could I find that too? I didn’t know it then, but that question was the beginning of a journey that would change my life. I can’t pinpoint the exact moment God became real to me. Was it because I was searching for Him? Was it my family’s prayers? Or was it the quiet work of the Holy Spirit? Probably a little bit of all those things. All I know is that one day, I made a choice to give my life to Jesus. It wasn’t dramatic—no lightning bolts or angelic choirs—but it was real. It felt like coming home. 


As someone who’s always been fascinated by science, I initially kept my faith and my love for discovery in separate boxes. Faith was for church; science was for the rest of my life. They seemed like different languages, each with its own rules. But the more I studied—both the Bible and the universe—the more I saw how beautifully they fit together. Science, for me, became a window into God’s creativity. Take the universe: the odds of it existing as it does, perfectly tuned for life, are staggering. The precise amount of uranium in Earth’s core, the exact strength of fundamental forces like gravity and electromagnetism—if any of these were off by even a fraction of a percent, we wouldn’t be here. It’s like the universe was designed with us in mind. And the God who cared enough to craft such a precise world is the same God who, in the story of the cross, cared enough to give everything for me—for all of us. This realization didn’t just bridge the gap between my faith and my intellect; it became the foundation of my belief. When doubts creep in, as they do for all of us, I look at the world around me. The complexity of a single cell, the vastness of the cosmos, the delicate balance that makes life possible—it all points to a purposeful intelligent design. And it reminds me that the God I met in my searching is still here, still real, still at work. 


My belief in a higher power isn’t just about science or scripture, though both have shaped me. It’s about a relationship with a God who knows me, loves me, and gives my life meaning. It’s about finding purpose in a world that can feel chaotic and fleeting. And it’s about trusting that the One who set the stars in motion has a plan for me, too. If you’re searching for meaning, I hope my story encourages you to keep asking questions. Look at the world around you—the beauty, the precision, the mystery. And don’t be afraid to open your heart to the possibility that there’s a higher power who’s been waiting for you all along. For me, that power is Jesus, and finding Him has made all the difference.