Hand of God

4/15/2025

Colossians 1:15 "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation."

My sister has shared a story with me that left me gob smacked. I am sharing it with her permission

I will start by saying that her youngest son's wife has a very complicated family history that has clearly left scars on her soul. I will not go into details, but she comes from a world that most of you reading this have probably never known, but sadly, too many people have. She now, because her childhood was so out of control, tries to take control of every area of her life and every person in it. We may all know people with similar tendencies, but she takes this need for control to a whole new level. It is clearly because of brokenness, and she is in need of the healing that only comes through Christ. 

My sister and I have been praying for her daily. She weighs heavy on our hearts. We both know the truth that no one is beyond redemption and healing. Christ gave Himself unto death for this very reason. Sadly, she is closed off to hearing about the redemptive love of Jesus from family, so I have been praying that the Lord send people into her life that can be His hands and feet. 

Last week, my sister and her husband drove almost 12 hours to visit their son and grandson while their daughter-in-law was away working her two weeks for a fracking company. Their family dynamic with her is also complicated, but for a very different reason than her own. I will say that the entire family, especially my sister, was just trying to accept her and love her, but sadly, she could not accept their kindness and love. 

The visit was wonderful, and they were able to give a little respite to their very exhausted son, who not too long ago returned from being deployed in the Middle East. It has been a lot for him over this past year, but seeing him with his little boy just makes your heart melt. 

Now for the wild part of the story. I don't know, dear reader, where you stand on the metaphysical parts of faith, but I personally have experienced things that cannot be explained otherwise. 

My older sisters were both given crucifixes by our dad when they were little. (I had not yet been born, so none for me. 😉) The sister visiting her son had lost hers, so our older sister gave her the one she had (So sweet). It would be over 60 years old. My sister has worn it all the time for years without incident. This, however, was about to change. 

On the long drive home, my nephew called and told his mom that her crucifix wasn't a crucifix anymore. He told her to look down at it. The image of Jesus was gone; it had fallen off at his home. Only one arm remained attached to her cross. What??? Hearing this, I had chills head to toe. The meaning was clear: Jesus let my sister know He was still with her, but she left her faith in Him behind with them as well. Beautiful. 

My sister, who has been praying for this little family and specifically for her daughter-in-law's healing, was shocked and awed. The tiny, crucified image of Jesus had been left behind right before Holy Week. It was a sign that, even in the darkest situations, He is still there. No matter how broken, angry, or sinful we are, He is still knocking on the door of our hearts just waiting for us to let Him in. No one is beyond His redemption. No one. 

Through this, we both have a renewed fire to continue to lift her up mightily to our precious Savior. It was also a wonderful reminder to me that no matter how bleak a situation may seem, I should NEVER stop praying. EVER! Maybe during this most Holy time of the year, it would be good to reflect and meditate on the truth that "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16  He never gives up on us, and He never will. 

To God be the glory!