I Choose Today...

I Choose Today to Remember the Crown of Thorns

Molinda Hern March 31, 2026

Holy Week invites us to slow down and remember. This year, I found myself reflecting on one powerful symbol — the crown of thorns. During this Holy Week, I have been reflecting on what Christ went through leading up to and including the cross. He was tortured. “Then Pilate took Jesus and had Him flogged. The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on His head. They clothed Him in a purple robe and went up to Him again and again, saying, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’ And they slapped Him in the face.” John 19:1–3 But even in their cruelty, God was revealing something deeper, something that had been set in motion from the very beginning. In Genesis 3:17–18, after Adam and Eve sinned, God said: “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you…” Did you catch that? Thorns were part of the curse. They were part of the consequences of sin, the brokenness that entered the world when humanity chose to be right in its own eyes. And it was these same thorns

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I Choose Today to Live From Who I Already Am

Molinda Hern March 28, 2026

Over the past year, we’ve been walking a journey together. Fifty episodes. Fifty conversations. Fifty opportunities to pause, reflect, and choose differently. And as I sat with this moment, Episode 51, the end of this first season, I felt led to do something simple. Pause. Because sometimes the most meaningful thing we can do is stop and look at where God has brought us. Over the last several episodes, we’ve been talking about identity. Who we are in Christ. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned, both in my own life and in walking alongside others, it’s this: Everything changes when we understand who we are. Because when we don’t know who we are, we strive. We compare. We perform. We try to earn what has already been given. But when identity settles into our hearts, something shifts. We stop striving… and we begin living. This series began with receiving identity. Not carving it. Not earning it. Not proving it. But receiving it. Because so many of us have spent years trying to become someone, trying to measure up, trying to prove our worth, trying to feel like we belong. But Scripture reminds us that in Christ, identity is not

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I Choose Today to Carry His Name Well

Molinda Hern March 21, 2026

This reflection comes from Episode 50 of the I Choose Today Podcast, and it feels like a meaningful place to pause and consider not just who we are in Christ, but how that identity shapes the way we live. From the very beginning, God created humanity in His image. Scripture tells us in Genesis that we were formed to reflect something of His character into the world. His goodness. His love. His nature. And when He looked at what He had made, He called it very good. That means before we ever accomplished anything, before we built a reputation, before anyone formed an opinion about us, God had already spoken value and dignity over our lives. We were created as image-bearers. But when sin entered the world, something shifted. Not in God, but in us. Instead of reflecting Him outward, humanity began turning inward. Doubt crept in. We questioned His goodness, His intentions, His heart. And the reflection became distorted. Not erased. But clouded. And yet, God did not abandon His image-bearers. Through Jesus, He began restoring what had been distorted. Scripture tells us that Jesus is the image of the invisible God. He shows us what God is like,

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I Choose Today to Remember I Am an Image Bearer

Molinda Hern March 7, 2026

This reflection comes from Episode 48 of the I Choose Today Podcast, where we continue our Identity series by returning to one of the most foundational truths about who we are. Genesis tells us that humanity was created in the image of God. And after creating humanity, God looked at what He had made and called it very good. Think about that for a moment. Before you ever had a résumé. Before you ever had a reputation. Before anyone ever criticized you. Before anyone ever praised you. God had already spoken something over humanity: very good. Not because of accomplishment. Not because of perfection. But because we bore His image. In the beginning, Eden was a place where heaven and earth overlapped. God walked with His image bearers. Humanity was created to reflect Him, to reflect His goodness, His character, and His presence into the world. But then doubt entered the story. The serpent didn’t say humanity wasn’t made in God’s image. Instead, he planted doubt about God’s goodness and trustworthiness. And when doubt enters, something subtle shifts. Instead of naturally reflecting God outward, we begin guarding ourselves inward. The mirror that was meant to reflect Him outward becomes turned

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I Choose Today to Stand in the Armor I’ve Been Given

Molinda Hern March 3, 2026

“Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.”  Ephesians 6:11 There’s something important about that phrase: put on the full armor of God. It doesn’t say create it. It doesn’t say earn it. It doesn’t say assemble it from your own strength. It says put on what God has already given you. The armor is His. That means we were never meant to manufacture our own protection. We were never meant to fight spiritual battles with emotional reactions, clever arguments, or human resilience alone. God has already provided what we need to stand. And notice the purpose: So that you can stand. Not scramble. Not strive. Not achieve victory. Just stand. Victory has already been secured through Jesus’ death and resurrection. We are not fighting for victory. We are standing from victory. That changes everything. Lately, I’ve felt attacked from multiple directions, some expected, many not. The kind of hits that try to knock the wind out of you. The kind that whisper, “Maybe you should stop. Maybe you misunderstood your calling. Maybe God won’t come through.” The enemy doesn’t need to destroy you to derail you. He just needs

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