Free Miracles in Disguise (The Trampled Rose Series) by Michelle Lynn Brown Page A

and innocence. We can’t let him take that from her." She couldn’t keep the panic from her voice as she said, “Please, Nathan. We have to protect her.”
    Nathan reached out and placed his hand on hers. “Don’t worry, she’s a smart girl, and she's tough.” With a chuckle he added, “She’s also stubborn, which goes a long way in handling herself.”
    Kristina wanted to pull back from his touch, and warning bells sounded in her head.
    “She’s been through a lot in her short life. She was just ten when her mom was diagnosed with cancer and given only six months to live, but she was a tough lady too.” He laughed softly and pulled her hand closer to him. “Barbara’s mom had tremendous faith, and would always tell the doctors not to put a timer on her life. She would be here on this earth as long as God still had a purpose for her. She died when Barbara was twelve, and George, Barb's father, just fell apart.” He smiled down at her, and said, “I had just graduated college and was heading off to seminary that fall, but I was helping lead the youth group that summer. She walked in to the church one afternoon, and found me making copies in the office. She began firing off questions, but the one that got me the most was when she asked what good was her mother’s faith if God wasn’t going to heal her.”
    “What did you say?” Kristina asked, her voice barely above a whisper, wanting to know the answer for herself.
    “I told her that her mom’s faith wasn’t just about God healing her, it was about God’s sovereignty in her life. She had faith that God is and will always be who He says He is in His Word.”
    For Kristina, those words settled around her heart softly – not enough to take hold of, but just lingering there, as if they were looking for a place to rest.
    Nathan continued with a smile, “All she said was ‘Humph!’ and she walked out the door." Nathan lifted their joined hands to his chest, covering his heart briefly as he remembered, “Oh man, I thought I blew it! I prayed so hard for her that night. But she came back the next day and told me, ‘I have to be honest with you, I haven’t been paying too much attention in church. I just went because my mom said I had to. But if my mom thought that Jesus was worth trusting her life and death with, I think I can too.’” Nathan’s eyes misted over as he finished in barely a whisper, “We sat there, and I told her about how much God loved her and her mother. That He sent his only Son to die for her sins because that is the only way any of us could ever get to Heaven. That Jesus’ blood was shed, not just so that we could go to Heaven, but He rose, so that we could have hope, and abundant joy and peace – while we are still here - even when things come crashing down around us.” Nathan wiped a tear from his eye with the back of their intertwined hands, and he finished, “That’s when she just looked at me and said, ‘My mom had that peace, even when she knew she was dying.’”
    “After that day, Barb has lived her life totally on fire for God. She fell head over heels in love with Jesus, and led her father to the Lord a year later.” Stroking the back of her hand with his thumb, he said quietly, “Much like her mother, she lives for God’s purpose in her life – even when she doesn’t know what it is.”
    Kristina was so lost in thought that she just sat there, staring at their intertwined hands laying in the space between them. His words echoed the longings in her heart - to have peace and hope that is not destroyed by circumstances.
    When she looked up at Nathan, she was brought up short. Kristina wanted to look away from the depth of compassion in his eyes. She wanted to run inside and hide, she wanted to lock the doors of her house and her heart, refusing anyone entrance. But something halted her flight. Her soul cried out, thirsty for the promise she saw in Nathan’s eyes. Peace, rest, safety, all wrapped up and hers