His Cross Our HopeSampel

Have you ever faced arrest? I have. I thought the powers of darkness had finally caught up with me, yet the event remains one of the best things that ever happened to me.

After a long time of trying to manage my out-of-control world, my coping mechanism controlled me instead. Raising a child with mental health challenges alongside a husband who disagreed on how to handle those challenges felt like walking on eggshells. Added to that, my husband began facing his mortality after almost dying three times from a genetic heart condition.

Our home life was a disaster, and we all tried to grapple for a hold over it. My stomach hurt from constantly clenching. So, I tried taking the edge off with alcohol, and numbness felt better than constant stress–until it wore off and the problems continued.

Then came the fateful day when my alcohol use required attention. Alcohol impaired my judgment. I had to face facts when a police officer flashed his blue lights behind the car I had parked after realizing I had no business driving. God got my attention and helped me deal with my issues with professional help. He took away the cravings I couldn’t conquer myself. It’s been over a decade since He healed me and allowed me to see my arrest as part of His plan.

Jesus’s arrest also happened as part of God’s plan. Only Jesus didn’t need God to get His attention as Jesus was aware of the plan, having been born for this specific purpose. It seemed that darkness would reign. But it was not strong enough to defeat our Lord. Jesus came to die and reign. To rule, He had to face betrayal and an arrest at the appointed time. Though I had rebelled, Jesus did not. He was arrested even though He had no sin, and He will come again to reign.

~Carol McCracken

Author, speaker, and Bible study teacher