In the midst of my petty struggles and challenges, I remember an episode from nearly twenty years ago.

It was a time of incredible turmoil: one of our children had just had a minor brush with the law, another was just being released from residential treatment, our church was in the middle of yet another self-induced crisis and our personal budget had taken more hits than a crash test dummy.

My almost lifelong struggle with depression held me teetering at the edge of the chasm. Then, my wife was hospitalized. I was afraid to even think the question, “What next?” I couldn’t help but think of that old joke: “Cheer up,” they told me, “Things could be worse.” So, I cheered up. Sure enough, things got worse.

Just then, when it seemed that I had every excuse in the world to take a running jump and do a quadruple gainer into the Pit of Despair, God gave me a miracle. A miracle of faith.

Somehow, in the midst of all of this, I felt an inexplicable calmness and confidence. “Everything will be OK” spoke to me and lifted me above the chaos. I experienced the peace that passes understanding, knowing that a power beyond mind over matter had taken hold of me, of all of these things. I could not explain it but I certainly experienced it. Without having any idea how all of these things could possibly work out, I still knew, absolutely, that they would.

And they did.

H. Arnett
3/3/10