Good Morning,
I am pleased to share today’s Lenten devotional, written by Regina Middleton, Assistant Registrar for Training and Professional Development in the Office of the Registrar. In her role, Regina supports Office of the Registrar staff and student workers through training programs that promote professional growth. Her work focuses on strengthening technical and soft skills and creating meaningful opportunities for professional growth and learning within the office. Outside of TCU, Regina enjoys traveling, supporting her husband’s basketball team, spending time with loved ones, volunteering at church, writing, and mentoring students. As you continue in your Lenten journey this week, Regina invites you to pause and reflect on the depth of God’s sacrificial love. And, may her devotional offer you encouragement, reflection, and peace.–Rev. Lea McCracken, Associate Chaplain
Scripture
“But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” — Romans 5:8 (NIV)
“He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross.” — Philippians 2:8 (NIV)
Reflection: A Sacrificial Love
Dear TCU family,
There’s something about Lent that invites us to pause, even when our calendars are overflowing. It’s as if God whispers, “Stop. Come closer. Let Me show you how deeply you are loved.” And if I’m honest, I need that reminder more than I’d like to admit.
When I imagine the Garden of Eden, I think about what it must have felt like to walk with God in perfect peace. No stress about the next assignment. No anxiety about whether we’re enough. Just love, pure and unbroken. That’s what we were created for.
But we all know that’s not the world we’re living in right now.
When humanity fell, I wonder if we expected God to turn away, to say, “You’ve made your choice. Figure it out on your own.” But love didn’t work that way. Instead of withdrawing, God leaned in closer.
He didn’t send a theological treatise or a list of rules. He sent Himself. Born to a young woman who said yes to something she couldn’t fully comprehend. Jesus came not to condemn our brokenness, but to enter into it with us. And in the most profound act of love the world has ever known, He took our place on the cross.
Love in the Stands
I spend a lot of evenings cheering on my husband and his high school basketball team, sitting in gyms all across Texas as a proud basketball wife. Some nights, the wins feel incredible and the joy is contagious. Other nights, I sit quietly and watch my husband process a difficult loss, knowing that all I can offer is my presence. Over the years, I’ve learned that real love isn’t just about celebrating the highlight reels. It’s the quiet car ride home after a crushing defeat. It’s the prayer I whisper when I see exhaustion written across his face. It’s choosing to show up, night after night, even when I’m tired too.
But here’s what humbles me every single time: even at my most devoted, my love has limits. There are burdens I cannot lift for him. Pain I cannot absorb, no matter how desperately I wish I could. Problems I cannot solve with my presence alone.
Jesus didn’t have those limits.
He didn’t love us from a comfortable distance or cheer for us from the sidelines. He walked directly into our suffering, our shame, our deepest failures, and said, “I will carry this. All of it.” The crushing weight that would destroy us, He bore willingly. The death sentence we deserved, He accepted in our place.
That kind of love stops me in my tracks. That kind of love changes absolutely everything.
A Word to Our TCU Community
I see you, TCU. I see the late nights in the library and the early morning workouts. I see the pressure you feel to excel in the classroom, on the field, in your organizations, and in your relationships. I watch students juggling part-time jobs while maintaining full course loads. I know faculty and staff who pour themselves out daily to serve this community, often sacrificing personal time and energy.
Some days, it feels overwhelming, doesn’t it?
Here’s what Lent keeps whispering to my heart, and I hope it speaks to yours too: God didn’t wait for us to achieve enough, produce enough, or become polished enough before He loved us. He didn’t require us to make Dean’s List, win the championship, or figure out our entire future before extending His grace. He loved us when we were struggling. He loves us still, on the days when we feel like we’re barely holding it together.
That’s what grace looks like. And it’s freely available to every single one of us on this campus.
Whether you’re a freshman trying to find your place, a senior anxious about what comes next, a graduate student pouring everything into your research, a staff member serving behind the scenes, or a faculty member investing in the next generation—you are seen. You are valued. And you are deeply, unconditionally loved.
Lenten Invitation
“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” — John 15:13
As we journey through this Lenten season together, I’m sitting with these questions, and I invite you to reflect on them as well:
Where is God calling me to release my need to prove myself and simply receive His love?
What am I holding onto that is weighing me down, whether it is comparison, resentment, fear, or perfectionism?
How can I reflect the sacrificial love of God right here on our campus?
Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, as we walk through this Lenten season, thank you for your sacrificial love and grace. Let your love flow through the TCU community and across Fort Worth. Bless our leaders, faculty, staff, and students with strength and inspiration. Renew our hearts, teach us to forgive, and help us love others as you love us. We are grateful to be part of this TCU family and to be called your children. May this season draw us closer to your heart and remind us that our identity is found in your unchanging love.
Go Frogs, and may you walk in the light of His love this Lenten season.