12/12/2025
About a year after a serious car accident, Anna was still navigating the long, complicated road of recovery. One afternoon, on her way to an appointment, she popped in her earbuds and began listening to Bible in One Year: With Commentary by Nicky and Pippa Gumbel. The day’s message was about healing, something that felt particularly close to her heart.
As she walked, two girls strolled a few steps ahead. One of them had a small tattoo on the back of her arm, a heartbeat line with the words “Recovery is not linear.”
Anna slowed her pace, her heart stirring. This has to be God, she thought. Here I am, thinking about how hard recovery can be, listening to a message about healing, and now this tattoo appears right in front of me.
Curious, she asked the girl what the tattoo meant.
The young woman smiled softly. “I got it on the one-year anniversary of my su***de attempt,” she said. “We’re celebrating.”
She thought, This is God. I couldn’t have orchestrated this moment myself.
As someone working closely with healthcare professionals, she knew all too well that recovery rarely follows a straight line. Yet in that unexpected encounter, she felt God whisper, Look what I’ve done for others.
Anna congratulated the girl, celebrating her strength and survival. But as she continued her walk, she carried more than just the warmth of that exchange, she carried a renewed hope. Even when setbacks came, she knew now, God would still be walking beside her on her own journey of healing.
