SLO POKE FAITH | When You Feel Too Far Gone for God

Since God's love endures forever, it makes sense that He used a Slo Poke caramel sucker to win my sister-in-law Debbie's heart.

Unlike a Hershey bar, which was here today and gone tomorrow, a Slo Poke stuck around. The Lord knew she’d need the kind of faith guaranteed to last.

My husband's family rarely set foot in church, but every Sunday morning a Baptist bus came around. One week, they offered Slo Pokes to anyone who brought a friend, so Debbie grabbed her brother Chuckie and the two climbed aboard.

Both children heard the Gospel and received Jesus that day.

But over time, life pulled that tender faith apart until it hung by a thread.

To a little girl facing unspeakable circumstances, it felt like God had yanked His love right out of her hands. Yet somewhere deep down, she dared to believe that the Gospel she once heard remained true.

Some years later, she and I would meet. We were an unlikely pair — me, a Sunday School girl with a head full of Bible verses, and Debbie, a girl with a heart of gold that didn't feel worthy to set foot in a church.

"But I never stopped praying," she told me.

In her soul's most desperate times and places, a faint, familiar Presence comforted her in the darkness and kept her hanging on.

The Scriptures I knew came to life when I shared them with Debbie. The more I assured her of God's love, the more convinced I became that His love was just as real for me.

We discovered that the love of God is so much more than some cheap sugar high, unwrapped once and discarded. We found that His love sustains us through our hardest journeys and darkest hours.

Stretched beyond your own limits, you may be tempted to think that your salvation story was just a childhood fluke, too.

But God's Word dispels that lie.

"I will never leave you nor forsake you." Hebrews 13:5

When God says "never," it means His love is forever. His promises are eternal, too.

Even when you can't hang on a second longer, Jesus never lets you go.

• Your doubts won’t shake Him.

• Your sins don't scare Him.

• Your hard circumstances can’t break His grip.

Debbie wrestled with that truth most days, but our last conversation on earth echoes in my heart. “I’m so ready to put the past behind me. I can’t wait to feel those chains break.” 

Those chains finally broke because Jesus hung on.

If my beloved sister-in-law, sister-in-Christ, were here today, she'd say, "You tell 'em, Sis." 

So I will.

For Debbie, and for every Slo Poke, late bloomer, and broken believer struggling to believe that Jesus loves them.

• You didn't miss the bus.

• You're already on your way.

• You're still called by name, still treasured, still chosen.

We may have come to church for the candy, but we left with the real Prize. Jesus Christ, Love guaranteed to last.