He Spoke I Went

While reading Matthew 9, I was struck by the power of other people’s faith—the kind of faith that carries someone when they don’t have the strength to move forward on their own.

In June 2020, that became deeply personal. Around June 20th, Tisa entered hospice care. Everything about that moment felt final—heavy, still, and beyond anything we could fix. In the middle of that uncertainty, I invited her to choose a date—and if she woke up on that day, she would figuratively roll up her mat.

The next day, she opened her eyes.

With quiet resolve, she said, quoting The Shawshank Redemption, “I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy living, or get busy dying.”

From that moment, something shifted.

She didn’t walk this road alone. Like the paralyzed man in Matthew 9, Tisa was carried—lifted by the faith of others. Friends, family, and loved ones surrounded her with prayers, fasting, and unwavering belief. And just as the Savior responded when He saw their faith, we began to see His hand move in ways we could not deny.

Tisa got busy. The scriptures had always been a source of comfort and peace for her, and in this season she leaned into them even more deeply. As she strengthened her spirit, she worked, little by little, to regain her physical strength. What began as small, almost imperceptible progress grew steadily. Day by day, hope returned. Strength followed.

Then, on August 31, 2020, we witnessed something sacred. Tisa stood. She walked. And she escorted Peyton to the airport, sending him off on his mission to New York City.

I cannot look back on that season without recognizing the hand of God. This was more than recovery—it was a living witness of what happens when faith becomes collective, when people carry one another, and when Christ honors that faith with a miracle.

“Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, ‘Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.’ … But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.” Then the man got up and went home. —Matthew 9:2, 6–7

Sometimes miracles come not because one person is strong enough, but because they are surrounded by people who believe when they cannot.

I know with all my heart that miracles still happen. I have seen what God can do when faith is not just personal, but collective—when people choose to carry one another.

So don’t stop praying. Don’t stop fasting. Don’t stop believing for someone else—especially when they may not have the strength to believe for themselves.

Your faith might be the very thing that helps carry someone to their miracle and their personal testimony that Jesus is the Christ and He Lives.