When well-meaning advice does more damage than good

Advice from trusted friends is often a great gift – except when it isn’t.

 Wading through the book of Job this week, I am so struck by contrasts. This book begins as a narrative of the onset and progression of this faithful follower of God’s life-changing losses and agonies. But it soon becomes a volleying of speeches offered by Job’s friends, with his own responses interspersed.

 As Job and his seemingly well-intentioned friends discuss his remarkable suffering, it may be challenging for the reader to pick out the good advice from the bad. Although each of his friends offers some nuggets of truth and wisdom, they also go out of bounds. 

 

 OK, these guys do spend an impressive amount of time listening to Job first, as he airs his woes. But then they launch into their own diatribes:

• They attempt to analyze Job’s situation, even though they lack insight into it.
• They add insult to injury by complaining about other problems besides Job’s (as if he needs additional worries or concerns at this point).
• They blame Job for his troubles.
• They offer pat answers, claiming the faithful will come out alright.
• They question Job’s faith.
• They critique their friend Job, making themselves sound better by comparison.
• They seem to explain away some of his troubles, as if he might be exaggerating his misery.
• They call Job to repent, which is always a good idea before God, but they do not know that Job’s suffering did not result from sin on his part.
• Basically Job’s friends offer him counsel (right or wrong) when what he really needed was comfort.

 (I’m cringing because I realize that I have been both the giver and the recipient of similar well-meaning, but off-target commentaries over the years.)

 In all of this, despite his own agony and his having to endure all of their hot air, Job remains faithful to God. He dares to ask difficult and honest questions, knowing that God is able to take that. And as believers, we know that God will answer Job (and will answer us) in His time.

Spoiler alert: This proves to be true before the end of the book, as God restores Job.

 God is not afraid or threatened by our difficult and honest questions. And there are times when He is the only wise counsel, even when others earnestly are trying to help. Maybe that’s why the Apostle John instructed believers thusly:

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God.” (1 John 4:1a, NKJV)

 We are also limited. We need His wisdom — oh, how we need it — especially in our most difficult times.

 One of my most frequently prayed promises of the Scriptures wasn’t around in Job’s time. But it’s here for us:

 “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you." (James 1:5, NIV)

 Bring it, Lord. How we need Your wisdom.

 

Related items:

• Arms up or up in arms?
• Betrayed again … but Jesus knows the feeling
• Dark and difficult emotions don’t negate our faith
• Does mother-grief last forever?
• Fighting for heir time
• My heart hurts because you matter
• Snotty snubs and hot coals

 

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Image/s: Mr. Mel's Neighbors by Evan Harrington, 1860, public domain

Does God say no to earnest prayers?

 

What a tough question. We pray. God answers. I’d stake my life on it. Maybe you agree. But does that mean God gives us carte blanche when we pray?

 Believers love to say, “Prayer is powerful” and “Prayer works.” I beg to differ. This may sound like semantics, but I’d rather proclaim this:

 “God is powerful” and “God works.”

 The Bible clearly states, again and again, that God answers prayer. Here are a few favorite examples:

 “I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry.” (Psalm 40:1, NIV)

 “The Lord is close to all who call on Him, yes, to all who call on him in truth." (Psalm 145:18. NLT)

 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8, ESV)

 “And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” (Matthew 21:22, NKJV)

 “And whatever you ask in My Name, this I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” (John 14:13, NASB)

 “If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” (John 15:7, KJV)

“This is what I want you to do: Ask the Father for whatever is in keeping with the things I’ve revealed to you. Ask in My Name, according to My will, and He’ll most certainly give it to you. Your joy will be like a river overflowing its banks!” (John 16:23-24, MSG)

“Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” (Ephesians 3:20, NLT)

 “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” (1 John 5:14, NIV)

 These are wonderful promises from our faithful God, and we take great comfort in them. We find assurance for our faith, and we persist in praying. Even so, can’t we all point to instances in our own lives (and those of our loved ones), when God’s answer was entirely different that what we thought we’d asked Him for?

 Consider these biblical examples of God’s seemingly surprising answers to faithful prayers.

 

The Apostle Paul prayed several times for relief, but God let his suffering last.

 What was the thorn in the flesh that pestered Paul (See 2 Corinthians 12:7-9.)? Bible scholars differ on this. Some have suggested it was a physical ailment, such as vision loss (See Galatians 4:14) or even optic neuritis (perhaps from multiple sclerosis). Additional experts have alleged he might have had epilepsy.

 Others have proposed Paul suffered in another manner. Whatever the cause of the Apostle’s woes, God let his struggle persist for reasons of His own.

 

Lazarus’ sisters begged for his healing, but he actually died.

 When Jesus received a message that his special friend had fallen gravely ill (See John 11.), the Lord did not rush to heal him. Lazarus died. Sisters Mary and Martha questioned Jesus’ devotion for their brother. Then He worked a wondrous miracle, calling Lazarus out of his grave.

 

God did not grant Mary’s heart-wrenching prayers at the foot of her son’s cross.

 Mary stood at Golgotha with Mary Magdalene and John (See John 19:24-26.), watching her son endure a torturous death. Surely she begged the Father to rescue Jesus from this agonizing fate. But God allowed the Savior to complete the work He had taken on flesh to do.

 Had He not, none of us would be here to ponder the complexities of answered prayer at all.

 

The previous evening, God did not sway over His holy Son’s blood-sweating prayer in Gethsemane.

 Jesus wrestled so hard in prayer on the night He was to be arrested and sentenced to die that His sweat fell as drops of blood in the famous garden near Jerusalem (See Matthew 26:36-46 and Luke 22:40-46.). “Not My will, but Yours,” he called to His Father, submitting to the original plan, which led through His suffering to our ultimate redemption.

 

Sometimes a “No” answer from God actually leads to a bigger “Yes.”

 Why do we try to fence God in, prescribing how He ought to respond to our pleas? And why do we try to explain away His answers, when they don’t come in the flavor we’d like? We even try to blame those who struggle and suffer, as if God might treat their prayers differently if they weren’t somehow at fault. It’s heartless and unscriptural to critique others’ faith, based on how God answers their prayers.

 

“Name it and claim it” doesn’t exactly hold water, if God is truly sovereign. And He is.

 Maybe … just maybe … when we place our prayers before the throne of the Lord of Lords, we’d do well to leave them there.

 

Bear with me: I’m preaching to the mirror here, as I often must do.

 Do I earnestly believe He is willing and able to answer in the best way of all?

 Am I trusting Him for all that is to come?

 When I say, “Thy will be done,” do we really mean, “My will be done”?

 Amen means “So be it.” May I learn to let it be so.

 

Related items:

• Feeling a little scarred, spilled, and scratched this week
  
• God’s best always flies past counterfeits that are merely good
• Maybe worry isn’t all bad
  
• Ouch! Why do we grieve grievers with tacky questions?

 Image/s: From Devotions, Ernst Nowak (1851-1919), public domain photo

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Reading through the Bible in 2022. Join us!

 

 Have you read through the entire Bible? It sounds like a daunting task, but also a great goal for the coming year.

 It’s been a while since I journeyed from cover to cover in the Scriptures, and I’m eager to do this again. Plus, a group of inspiring friends has decided to do this together. Accountability and encouragement count for plenty, when it comes to approaching all 66 books in God’s Holy Word.

 

 Our group is following a plan that takes us through the Bible chronologically, with an eye towards increased understanding of God’s hand in human history. We’re using our own adaptation of a chronological Bible reading plan we found online.

 This is an ambitious goal. It means reading multiple chapters of Scripture each day. Some days, that may come easily. Other days, it may prove to be more challenging. But God promises to meet us in His Word.

 “So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11, ESV)

 

Want to join us?

 Pick your translation. Read the Bible in printed book form, electronically, or even in audio format. Yes, you can listen to the Bible in a live feed, podcast, CD, or other techy formats, if you want. 

 

 Can’t wait to see what we learn along the way!

 And may God open our minds to understand His Word. (See Luke 24:45.)

Image/s:

Public domain photo

 

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How to Make a Jesse Tree for Christmas

 Family Fun and Holiday Learning During the Advent Season

Amid the excitement and flurry of activity that surrounds holiday season each year, how can families refocus upon the true meaning of Christmas?

 The Jesse Tree family tradition offers excellent teachable moments for parents and children, while tracing the story of God and His people, from Creation to the coming of Christ.

 The Old Testament prophet Isaiah, foretelling the coming of Christ, stated that the Messiah would be born from the root of Jesse, which was the line of Israel's King David. (See Isaiah 11:1-3). From this passage (and others like it) comes the symbolic Jesse Tree.

 Although Jesse Tree kits may be purchased (even in felt or magnet formats), you can add meaning and save money at Christmas time by creating your own Jesse Tree as a family. Simply gather the items listed below, or make them yourself. (Hint: In our home, we like to hang little paper tags on each item to include the appropriate Bible references.)

 

 Families may select various Bible stories and Scripture passages for their Jesse Trees. Following is our own list of family favorites.

 Throughout the month of December, leading up to Christmas Day, ask someone in the family to read the selected Scripture and then hang the appropriate item upon the family’s Jesse Tree.

 NOTE: Written by this author, this copyrighted material originally appeared on another publisher’s site. That site no longer exists. This author holds all rights to this content. No republication is allowed without permission.

 

December 1 – Creation 

Genesis 1 and 2

 Choose a small potted tree to represent the Lord God’s Creation of the earth and all that is in it. If you wish, you might use any sort of tree (artificial or fresh). Some families opt for a plain branch (with several offshoots), which they set in a pot of plaster or putty for a Jesse Tree.

December 2 – Adam and Eve

 Genesis 3

 As you read this account of the fall of man, when Adam and Eve were tempted by Satan to sin, place a small plastic snake on the Jesse Tree today. If you are crafty (but not crafty as the serpent), then you might fashion a snake from play clay, chenille stems or another artistic medium.

 December 3 – Noah and the Great Flood

 Genesis 7 and 8

 These two chapters of the Old Testament tell about Noah and the ark, the pairs of animals, forty days of rain and the rainbow that indicated the flood was over. God sent the rainbow as a promise that He would never destroy the entire world by floodwaters again.

 Make a rainbow from colored ribbons, yarns, chenille stems or even paper to hang on the Jesse Tree on this day.

 December 4 – Tower of Babel

Genesis 11:1-9

 The Tower of Babel represented the conceit of man, as people tried to build a structure to reach the heavens. God had another plan, and He confused their language. (This was an antithetical foreshadowing of Pentecost, perhaps, but that’s for theologians to discuss, more than young children.)

 Craft a tiny scroll of paper. Singe the edges, if you wish to make it look antique. Write Merry Christmas (or another message) in as many languages as you can, and hang the scroll on the Jesse Tree today.

 December 5 – Abraham

Genesis 12:1-7

In this beloved Bible passage, God promised to make Abraham the father of a great people, who would someday outnumber the stars.

 Place a shiny paper star on the Jesse Tree today to symbolize God’s special people, the Jews, through whose lineage the long-awaited Savior of the world would come.

 December 6 – Sodom and Gomorrah

Genesis 19:15-29

God destroyed the decadent cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, after repeated prophetic warnings. The people did not repent of their heinous sins, so judgment fell. Lot and his family escaped, led by the Lord. But Lot’s wife turned back, and she was transformed to a pillar of salt.

 Hang a small salt shaker on the Jesse Tree today to stand for Lot’s wife and importance of obedience to God’s instructions.

 December 7- Abraham and Isaac

Genesis 22:1-19

 God instructed Abraham to offer his only son, Isaac, as a sacrifice, and Abraham obeyed. At the last minute, as Abraham piled kindling wood for the burnt offering and lifted his knife to kill the boy, the Lord stopped him. God provided an animal for the sacrifice. Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his only son offers a spiritual parallel to the Lord God’s own sacrifice of His only Son Jesus.

 Tie up a small bundle of wooden matchsticks or toothpicks, and hang them on the Jesse Tree today to symbolize the altar for Abraham’s offering.

 December 8 - Jacob

Genesis 28:10-17

Jacob had a dream about a ladder (or stairway) leading to Heaven. He saw angels walking up and down the steps. Jacob’s vision included the gate of Heaven, with God promising the land to His people and their offspring. This vision foreshadows the coming of the Christ, who would open Heaven’s gates to all who receive Him.

Hang a little toy ladder on the Jesse Tree on this day, or cut a ladder from stiff cardboard to recall Jacob’s vision.

 December 9 – Joseph

Genesis 45

Jacob, father of the twelve sons (and tribes) of Israel, favored his son Joseph and gave him an extravagant multi-colored coat. Joseph dreamed he would one day rule his brothers. They became enraged at the prospect and sold him into slavery. Many years later, Joseph was a leader in Egypt during a time of famine, and he was able to feed his father and brothers. This Bible passage tells of that reunion.

 Tie a small scrap of multi-colored cloth around a branch of the Jesse Tree today to symbolize Joseph’s fancy coat and God’s providence through difficult circumstances.

December 10 – Moses

Exodus 3

This Old Testament passage explains how God appeared to Moses in a burning bush and called him to lead the Israelites out of slavery in Pharaoh’s Egypt.

 Hang a fiery orange leaf on the Jesse Tree on this day, or paint a pine cone in fiery colors, to represent God’s burning bush.

December 11 – Passover

Exodus 12

 When the Lord God delivered the people of Israel from their bondage in Egypt, He used a series of plagues. The final one was to slay the firstborn of all of Egypt. The Israelites, however, were spared by the angel of death because they obediently smeared lamb’s blood on the doorposts of their houses.

 In the New Testament, Jesus is called the Passover Lamb, because His shed blood covers the sins of those who trust Him, leading to victory over sin and death.

 Smear a white cotton ball with red marker, and hang it on the Jesse Tree today, to symbolize the Passover Lamb. 

December 12 – The Ten Commandments

Exodus 20

Moses climbed Mount Sinai to meet the Lord God, and God gave him two stone tablets containing the Ten Commandments.

 Cut out two small tablets from cardboard. Write the Ten Commandments on them, and hang them on the Jesse Tree on this day. 

December 13 – David & Goliath

I Samuel 17

 Young David, a shepherd boy, killed the giant Philistine Goliath with a slingshot and some stones. This bold victory demonstrates the power of God in action, as the Lord often delights in using small, seemingly ordinary people to accomplish His mightiest works.

 Hang a candy cane on the Jesse Tree today to symbolize a shepherd’s staff. 

December 14 – Elijah

1 Kings 18:17-39

The Old Testament prophet Elijah had a major showdown with wicked King Ahab and the false prophets on Mount Carmel. The false prophets summoned their idol, Baal, to light their altar with fire.  Then Elijah soaked his own offering and called upon the true God, who caused it to blaze.

 Cut out a small flame design from colored papers, and hang it on the Jesse Tree today. 

December 15 – Isaiah

Isaiah 6

Isaiah prayed and repented of his human frailties, and the Lord sent a seraph to purify his mouth with tongs of burning coals. The Lord God was preparing Isaiah to deliver His important prophetic messages, including the announcement that the Messiah was coming (See Isaiah 9:6).

 Hang a set of tweezers on the Jesse Tree on this day to represent the angel’s burning tongs. 

December 16 – Solomon

1 Kings 3

The Lord offered to grant King Solomon anything he wanted, and Solomon asked for great wisdom. (Clearly, the Lord knew what Solomon would request, and Solomon chose wisely.)

 This Bible passage recounts a very famous decision of discernment the wise King Solomon exercised.

 Hang a little crown on the Jesse Tree today. Cut it from shiny paper, or glue a small sheet of foil to cardstock before cutting. 

December 17 – Jeremiah

Jeremiah 31:31-34

Jeremiah, the weeping prophet, called the people of God to purified hearts and a renewal of faith. In this Scripture passage, Jeremiah describes the New Covenant of God, to will be fulfilled by the coming Messiah.

 Hang a small heart locket or charm on the Jesse Tree on this day, or cut a heart from stiff papers. 

December 18 – Jonah

Jonah 2

God called the prophet Jonah to go to Nineveh with a message of repentance. Jonah refused to go and tried to run away from God. The Lord made a large fish swallow him. Finally, from inside the fish, Jonah prayed. God made the fish spit Jonah up onto the shore, and Jonah obeyed the Lord’s calling.

 Hang a small toy fish, a goldfish cracker or a paper fish on the Jesse Tree today to recall the lesson of Jonah. 

December 19 – Habakkuk

Habakkuk 2:1-3

The Old Testament prophet Habakkuk stood on the watchtower, obeying the Lord’s instructions, and the Lord gave him a message of hope and redemption for His people. This message would be fulfilled by the arrival of the Messiah, Jesus.

 Hang a wristwatch or a little clock on the Jesse Tree on this day, as a reminder of Habakkuk on the watchtower and the need to wait on God for His timing and His answers. 

December 20 – Nehemiah

Nehemiah 2

Nehemiah, cup-bearer to King Artaxerxes, broke with protocol by asking the king for permission to return to his homeland to rebuild the decrepit Jerusalem wall. Miraculously, the king agreed.

 Construct a small brick wall from cardboard, and hang it on the Jesse Tree today. 

December 21 – John the Baptist

Luke 3:1-20

John the Baptist declared that he was sent to prepare the way for the coming of the Lord, the Savior of the World. When Jesus arrived, his cousin John baptized Him in the Jordan River of Israel.

 Hang a seashell on the Jesse Tree to symbolize the water of the Jordan, in which Jesus was baptized at the beginning of His earthly ministry. (Of course, the Jordan River does not contain seashells, but the shell is symbolic anyway.) 

December 22 – Mary and the Angel Gabriel

Luke 1:26-38

God sent the angel Gabriel to visit the Virgin Mary to inform her that she would be mother to the infant Christ Jesus. Mary humbly agreed to do the Lord’s bidding.

 Hang a white lily, or another white flower, on the Jesse Tree today as a reminder of the Virgin Mary. (Some families make white tissue paper flowers for this day.) 

December 23 – Joseph

Matthew 1:19-25

Joseph, a carpenter, was engaged to be married to Mary. When Mary became pregnant, Joseph was not sure what to do at first. The Lord sent an angel to speak to Joseph in a dream, reassuring him of his marriage to the young girl and confirming that she was indeed carrying the Son of God.

 Hang a small hammer or a wooden ruler on the Jesse Tree today to represent the carpenter Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus. 

December 24 – Bethlehem

Micah 5:2 and Luke 2:1-7

Bethlehem, the city of David, was long prophesied to be the expected birthplace of the Messiah. When the time came, Joseph and Mary packed their donkey and traveled to Bethlehem from their home in Nazareth to enroll for Caesar’s tax census. This was part of God’s plan, so that the Messiah Jesus would be born in the appropriate locale.

 Hang a single coin on the Jesse Tree on Christmas Eve to symbolize the tax census that led Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem. 

December 25 – Jesus

Luke 2:8-20

Jesus, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, was born in a dirty stable, filled with livestock. Still, a bright star shone overhead, and multitudes of angels drew shepherds and magi to the site to worship Him.

 The three magi brought frankincense, gold and myrrh to the Christ child. Although these may have seemed like eccentric baby gifts, they were actually prophetic in biblical times. Frankincense was used in worshiping God. Gold was for kings. And myrrh was traditionally used to prepare bodies for burial. Jesus, the Son of God and King of the Jews, was born to die for our redemption.

 Hang three tiny gifts on the Jesse Tree on Christmas Day to indicate the birth of Christ and the gifts of the magi.

 Merry Christmas. The Lord is come.

 

The Jesse Tree Tradition

 The Jesse Tree is a long-held tradition for many Christian families. Why not try this deeply significant Advent calendar, which traces biblical history (and the redemptive plan of God), from Creation through the birth of Christ, the Savior?

Image/s:Public domain photo

 

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Shot in the street - Can't we all stop and mourn?

Another kid was shot dead this week in one of our cities. By law enforcement. He was 20. How heartbreaking it is to hear of a young life cut short.

I’m not bashing cops. And this particular story is evolving. But however it plays out, it’s calamitous.

The police have officially called it an accidental weapon discharge. It began with a routine traffic stop over an expired registration. There may have been an outstanding warrant as well. The situation devolved. The police officer supposedly intended to zap the unarmed driver with a Taser, but used a gun instead. The kid’s mom was on the phone (from home) at the time and heard commotion before the call dropped. He died from a bullet wound in the chest. The whole thing was recorded on the officer’s body camera.

The question remains about whether this particular police officer made a grave mistake or acted intentionally. Maybe the truth will come out with incontrovertible proof. Maybe not.

Even if that happens, the loss of the young life still looms. And oh, so many more.

 

The grieving mom’s life will never be the same, echoing so many others.

How could it ever be?  Losing a child has to be the most unbearable sort of pain life can bring.

And this mother’s sudden unspeakable loss was ruled a homicide by the county medical examiner.  How many times will this grieving mom replay that dropped phone call in her own head?

“He lit up the room in our classroom workshops,” Project Success posted on Facebook. “We are heartbroken and thinking of his family, friends, and community.” The youth organization works with local schools to provide curriculum, workshops, arts experiences, mentoring, and more.

The devastating incident has made headlines around the world, primarily for its tragedy, but also for its timing. This happened in the same city where another white police officer is currently standing trial for the death of another man of color under his uniformed knee. Four local counties declared a state of emergency, and the state Governor declared a curfew, as protestors filled the streets.

And the spiral continues, bringing more unrest and violence and loss and grief.

  

Can we all stop and mourn awhile?

Tragedies like these bring to mind the oft-quoted prayer of Robert Pierce (1914-1978), the American Baptist pastor and missionary, who founded World Vision and Samaritan’s Purse. Pierce prayed thusly:

“Let my heart be broken with the things that break the heart of God.”

Surely God weeps when sons and daughters lose their lives. The Creator cries when violence storms our streets. He mourns when the unarmed are gunned down, the meek are murdered, and hatred prevails.

When will we stop spilling blood in our streets? When will we learn to love those don’t look like us? Or those who don’t vote like us? Or those who don’t (Dare I say it?) talk or pray or sing or do church like us?

This isn’t to throw fuel on the fire, but to call us to compassion.

 

How long will racial rages remain?

Someday, God will bring His Kingdom to pass. And all His people will belong there … together. There’s so much about that promise that is unimaginably miraculous, but perhaps one of the most unfathomable concepts is that He will bring unity and harmony to our diversity.

“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands.” (Revelation 7:9, ESV)

 

Maranatha. Come, Lord Jesus. Bring it!

How about us?  This kid’s disturbing death needs to drive us to prayer, if nothing else does.

Oh, Lord. May we long for the day when people will “beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.” (Isaiah 2:4, NIV).

Let’s ask God to break our hearts with what breaks His, just as Pierce prayed. Today, my heart breaks (and many other hearts break) for the family of this young man, unnecessarily slain.

May the Lord build in each of us a longing for the day He brings beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning (see Isaiah 61:3), and an end to racial divides.

In the meantime, can we care more? Can we learn more? Can we do more? Can we stop writing off others’ pleas to matter, justifying our own callousness and inaction by claiming we all do?

Isn’t it time for us to practice the unity of God’s coming Kingdom? In what tangible ways can we better participate in Christ-like love for one another?

 

Here’s an aside, if we’re serious about compassion.

That cop’s life is also forever changed, whether she acted inattentively or intentionally.

Mother of two adult sons, she’s been a police officer for more than a quarter of a century. At the time of this agonizing event, she was training a new officer on the job. Respected by her peers, she’s served as police union president. She has resigned from the police force and has been charged with second-degree manslaughter for this awful incident. Whatever happens legally or professionally, and whether the shooting was accidental or not, we have to suppose her heart will always carry the burden of this horrible event that occurred at her own hands.

Oh, Lord. Bring healing to us all.

 

Image/s: Public domain photo

 

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