Staring Down the Barrel of Providence

LISTEN TO EPISODE 9 HERE.

In this powerful episode, Claudia shared a a very personal experience about a traumatic event that she and her family encountered. Despite this tragedy, she saw God's hand of providence at work.

It all started with an early morning call from the local hospital.

When Claudia answered the call, a woman on the other end asked for her, and then proceeded to tell her that she was calling from the Surgical ICU unit at their local hospital. Claudia was told that her mom had been admitted. Although she pressed for information, the woman was oddly cryptic.

After calling her husband (who was an active duty police officer at the time), she raced to the hospital. When she arrived, her husband told her that her mother had been shot multiple times by a gunman who stood outside her home, and that the gunman had also shot and killed your grandmother.

"There is nowhere in my mind where this information made sense," Claudia explained, "My mom lived a very quiet life in a quiet country community.  My mom’s idea of excitement was a new Sudoku book. The idea that someone would attempt to murder my mother or take the life of my 92- year-old grandmother was simply beyond comprehension.

As the events of the night before continued to unfold, Claudia shared that despite the immense difficulty of the situation, she saw God's providence and presence in remarkable ways.

From the way that God had gently prepared her for this traumatic event before it happened, to sudden career changes that created margin for Claudia to be able to care for her mother, to God's hand of protection on on the night of the shooting, Claudia knew that through whole ordeal, God was in control.

In our pain, the enemy does not need to get the upper hand and strip us of all hope. 

Reflecting back on this painful event, Claudia shared that from the start, she and her mom were determined to see that God was glorified through this situation.

To the person in the middle of a painful season, our message of encouragement is this:

As you encounter hurtful, confusing, difficult moments, remember that we can have hope in the midst of the pain and confidence in the midst of the uncertainty because our God is not only there, but he’s working out His perfect plan…whether we see it or not.

Watch a video of Claudia sharing more about this story here.