I was 15, entirely uncertain of who I was, confused about the world around me. It was late March; I sat in the van with my aunt, my skin warmed by the magnified sun. She handed me a Bible and an awkward, obviously rehearsed speech about Jesus and knowing God followed the transaction. My heart beat faster in my chest. Sweat glistened on her brow. She was nervous, and that made me nervous. I cried, and she held my hand. This was the first time I clearly saw the boundless love of God at work around me.

It was this beautiful transforming moment that would tear my family apart. Over the next four years that followed this event, my mother and aunt did not speak at all. Christmases, Thanksgivings, birthdays, Mother's Days, they all came and went every year, and every year we did not speak to the rest of the family. It was the Bible that caused my mother and aunt to not speak to one another for four years. Their relationship gave familiarity to the protagonist vs. antagonist viewpoint. My aunt became the enemy in my mother's eyes, which made it extremely difficult for me to remain in relationship with her. For some families distance might be considered the norm, but in my family, this was unheard of. Prior to what we now refer to as "the incident", I had spent every weekend with my extended family; no one was considered a distant relative.

What I didn't know at the time was that God was using those four years of silence to mature, transform and mend broken hearts. Though the distance was painful, I am a different person because of this experience. Just as James teaches, trials and tribulations produce perseverance, which creates a spiritual maturity and completeness in Christ.

This past year, God has answered prayer in a powerful and meaningful way. We've spent holidays, birthdays, and day to day weekends together as a family. My mom has even moved back to her hometown where her entire family, immediate and extended, resides. There is a reality about one of the complexities of God that I've learned through this. I believe that God is in the business of restoring broken-beyond-repair relationships. I've seen this happen time and time again, and I have a hope that this truth will continue to resonate within me and in my life.