Tiara for the Storm

We received a phone call from my husband’s distant cousin. Someone he hadn’t seen in years and barely remembered. The only thing he could remember was that she was a little odd. She was in the area and wanted to stop in and say “Hello.” It was an unexpected visit from a near stranger, but we gave her our address, and later that evening, she arrived.

We talked a little. Mostly, my husband and her caught up on recent family history. Where so and so was, what they were doing, and so forth. At the end of the conversation, she revealed that she had driven nearly a hundred miles out of her way to visit us. At that moment, things got slightly awkward as she gave me a gift—a woman she had just met less than an hour ago. I opened the gift to find a costume tiara. I chuckled and looked at her in confusion as if she was, indeed, delightfully crazy. But secretly, I was very touched. I always wanted a tiara! What girl doesn’t? I could tell she knew I thought she was odd, but she smiled back at me and said, “God wants you to know that He loves you very much. You are His daughter, and that will not change.”

Although I did not realize the importance of the present, I felt my Father’s presence. I thanked her for the gift. She departed, and I put the silly tiara in a safe place and dismissed the entire interaction as odd.

Little did I know that my darkest valley was about to unfold. During the following months, my world began to unravel. My life, mind, and heart entered a perfect storm. I was devastated. I reached a place where I couldn’t see hope or light. I couldn’t understand the devastation of my life and why it happened. It seemed that I lost everything in such a short time. In the darkness, I collapsed.

I had people around me reaching out and helping. I continued going to church, praying, and trying to trust God. I tried putting on a mask, trying to show it wasn’t as bad as it was, but in the back of my mind, in the depths of my heart, I kept wondering, Did God disown me? Did He turn His back on me? Did I do something so unforgivable that there was no redemption available? Did God reject me?

In those low moments, God showed me in His Word that I wasn’t abandoned and reminded me about the tiara, hand-delivered by a perfect stranger sent by God Himself. The lie that God disowned me was demoted to be precisely what it was: a lie. That lie was disarmed by His Word and a trinket, a fake tiara that became a token of God’s promise.

I often begged God to remove the battle, but He did not. I begged for an explanation, and I heard nothing. I searched for comfort and felt a void. Then, I would grab onto His Word and the tiara for reassurance, remembering what it represented. I was still His child, even if I was destitute in every way. God would repeatedly bring scripture to mind: “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him” (Job 13:15). It brought little to no comfort. At times, it would inflame a deep anger and resentment. He could deliver me, yet refused!

God knew where I was and what I was going through, and He made provision for me to survive. He knew that the one thing I would not be able to live through was the thought that He disowned me. And He sent His love, His Word, and a tangible reminder before the darkness arrived.

There are storms in valleys naturally. Why not in life and the spirit? I did not recognize that I held hope because I felt hopeless. Yet there it was. His love, His everlasting Word, and a silly trinket with shining silver overlay and sparkling, plastic rhinestones. My hope.

I don’t know why we feel God is distant when going through certain trials or storms, but I know everyone must travel through them. Each person’s trials are unique to their walk and relationship with God. I also know that God’s love is unfailing and everlasting. He armed me with a tiara that would never be on my head. Its place was in and for my heart. It will be something different for you, or maybe you are focused enough to hold onto the greatest hope of all—the hope of eternal life with Him.

When you are going through your storm, or valley, or desert, or a combination of these, remember He is there. Even when you can’t hear or feel Him. Trust Him. Trust His nature, who He is, what He said, and what He has done in the past. When you can’t feel hope, look beyond your feelings and grasp onto what God has given you in the past. Hold on to it with everything you have. Just hold on. When you make it through the storm, and you look back at it, you will see He made provision for you, for your journey.

Years ago, I received that tiara, that symbol of love and hope, and I still have it. I don’t look to it for reassurance like I used to. It’s now safely tucked away, and it serves as a memoir. I pull it out now and again and thank God for it. I always pray that God blesses the one who obediently and bravely delivered it. I will keep it until I exchange it for a real one. I’ve never seen the lady who delivered it again. I probably wouldn’t recognize her if I did. I do remember her name and the fact that we did not have the same dedication to God. I also remember she drove just about a hundred miles to deliver a symbol of hope to a stranger.

Ladies, I believe that we are in a time when God will use every one of us. When God moves upon you to do something, and you know it’s from Him, do it! It may sound silly. The receiver may look at you like you are crazy. It could have lasting effects. It could be lifesaving. Likewise, if you are ever on the receiving end, whether you believe it or not, respond and receive in love. Finally, always use wisdom, proceed with prayer, and stay safely under your covering (speak with your spiritual leaders and trust their direction).

“And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love” (I Corinthians 13:13).  

“Therefore encourage one another and build up one another.” (I Thessalonians 5:11).