Truth for Life

On blustery fall days, many women curse the havoc wrought by wind in their hair. Not Andrea Roussel. To her, being a little wind-blown is a reminder of how God answered a stranger’s prayer, simultaneously demonstrating His power and gentleness. He gave her hair. Until August 2006, Roussel had spent about 20 years living with alopecia universalis, an autoimmune disease that rendered her entire body virtually hairless. Although she owned three custom-made wigs in different shades of red, Roussel was comfortable baring her head in public. In fact, that’s how she typically went to and from field hockey practice at the University of Louisville, where she was a graduate student. But when Roussel walked through the lobby in Crawford Gymnasium that fall, she caught the attention of custodian Greg Hughes, who assumed Roussel had cancer and stopped her to inquire if he could pray for her. She corrected him and explained her condition, and Hughes responded that God cared about her hair. They pray...

"For with God nothing will be impossible." (Luke 1:37) The angel Gabriel told Mary that God was planning to do something humanly impossible. All human logic would agree that a virgin could not give birth to a child. It was impossible. Yet this is exactly what was to happen. When God speaks of doing the impossible, it is no longer absurd. When was the last time God did the impossible in your life? When was the last time God spoke to you about what He wanted to do and you were scared to death by its magnitude? God still does the impossible! Too often we acknowledge our belief that God can do whatever He wants, then we add a safety clause: “But I just don’t think God will do that with me!” We become practical atheists, believing that God can perform miracles but never expecting a miracle in our own lives. God wanted to bring salvation to all of humanity. It is critical that Mary not only believed God could perform a miracle but also adjusted her life to the awesome work He plann...