Your Good Neighbor Devotional: Entry One: "Chicken Salad & Starting Over"

Your Good Neighbor Devotional

Entry One: "Chicken Salad & Starting Over"
🕊️ Soul Food for the Everyday Heart

Scripture of the Day:

“Though your beginnings were small, your latter days will be very great.”
— Job 8:7 (ESV)

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When the dust of big life changes settles—grief, loss, job shifts, or heartbreak—you often find yourself standing in the quiet kitchen of your soul, wondering, What now?

For me, the answer began with chicken salad.

It wasn’t fancy—just what I had:
Canned or shredded chicken, a dollop of mayo, a bit of mustard, and a spoonful of dill relish. It was something my mom might have made. It felt like home. Like starting again, gently.

Over time, I added more color and life:

• Cherry tomatoes for brightness

• Crunchy green peppers and green onions for strength

• A few pickle slices for that familiar zing

I swapped sandwich bread for toasted Lender’s bagels—something with just enough bite to hold it all together. I paired it with fruits like strawberries, blueberries, and grapes—sweetness without guilt. I learned to listen to my body, skipping the dense bananas because of my diabetes but still embracing the joy of small, nourishing choices.

Some days I still feel like that chicken salad—simple, a little thrown together, but filled with quiet comfort and surprising goodness.
And I believe God sees those days and smiles.

Because He knows that from these humble, everyday moments—meals prepared with care, hearts stretched by change, and hands lifted in prayer—He is growing something new.

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Today’s Reflection Prompt:
What "basic ingredients" in your life are starting to become something new? How has God met you in the small, quiet beginnings?

Today’s Good Neighbor Suggests:
Make your version of chicken salad today. It doesn’t have to be fancy. Add what you have. As you chop, stir, and serve—whisper a prayer of thanks for how far you’ve come. This is soul food, too.