Today’s Miracle Monday, submitted by Sister Diana Houlihan, is a testimony about how God drew her to Him with mercy and love over time.

I was an evangelist’s daughter. That might give you the impression I was raised in our church and never missed a single meeting. Your impression would be absolutely right on target. This didn’t stop me from making every bad decision possible. You see, I didn’t understand about Jesus at all or even the plan of salvation.

Dad was a stubborn man, very firm in his beliefs, and he wouldn’t budge on anything he believed in. I, being a true Alessandro, followed in his footsteps. (Well, the stubborn part of it, anyway.) Throughout my teens and into my twenties, I wandered into and saw the rawer side of life. It wasn’t until I hit my own personal bottom that I realized something had to change.

The journey back to Christ was a long and difficult period in my life. Just returning to my family home was a struggle in itself. I had to admit defeat. It wasn’t until I admitted defeat that I finally, almost, harnessed this thing called prayer.

The devil, seeing my new insight, wasn’t about to let me go. Kneeling in prayer one night, I felt an evil presence. I looked up and could feel a shadow-like figure in the far corner of my bedroom. It frightened me so badly that I ended my prayer. Each night, that shadow came closer and earlier into my prayer time. Each night, my prayers were becoming shorter.

The ultimate challenge came when this shadow stood behind me and covered over me. I was terrified beyond belief. Still, for the first time in my life, my Alessandro stubbornness paid off. I prayed, “God, if you take this shadow away, I’ll get baptized.” The shadow immediately disappeared.

I’m sure you’re wondering if that’s when I understood Jesus and salvation’s plan. Not at all!

The only thing I understood at that point was I needed to be baptized and Jesus was stronger than the devil.

As I grew in the Gospel, the Holy Spirit guided and, many times, corrected me. After nearly 48 years, I can look back and say that God has put up with an awful lot over these many years, but He’s never abandoned me. He’s blessed me with the gift of love and is forever showing me new ways to utilize my gift. The best part is that I am learning more and more each day about Jesus and His love.

How Did Jesus Call You?

Did today’s story remind you of a testimony in your own life? We’d love to hear about it and share it on a future Miracle Monday.

This article has undergone ministry review and approval.