The phrase "one day" can represent either endless procrastination or a powerful declaration of faith. For many of us, it becomes the anthem we cling to when faced with seemingly impossible family situations. This is exactly what happened when my eldest son abruptly left home as a teenager, disappearing for nearly a year without contact.
I'll never forget when I spotted him while driving – he didn't look like himself, but a mother knows her child. As tears streamed down my face, my assistant said, "One day he'll come back, he'll come home." Those words became my lifeline through months of uncertainty, judgment, and heartache.
What makes this story remarkable isn't just the reconciliation that eventually happened, but how it happened. While teaching a workshop called "Rising to Your Destiny," I shared my ongoing prayers for John's return, declaring my faith that "one day" we would reunite despite having no evidence this would happen. That very same day, in a Walmart I rarely visited, my sister spotted John. The God-orchestrated reunion that followed brought healing tears and opened a pathway to restoration that continues today.
This journey taught me painful truths about Christian community. Often, those who should stand with you through your children's struggles are the first to criticize. As I vulnerably share, "When you're in ministry, people expect you to show up for them when they don't even show up for you." They forget that pastors' children aren't "angels that dropped from heaven" but humans navigating their paths.
Whether you're currently waiting for your prodigal to return or facing any seemingly impossible situation, I encourage you: keep believing, keep pressing, remove the naysayers, and hold fast to your "one day." And while you wait, become someone else's miracle by lifting them up when they're down. Your breakthrough might be closer than you think, and your faith journey could be inspiring someone watching silently from the sidelines.