by Doug Rehberg
Ed. Note: As Doug looks toward leaving Hebron at the end of this year, he shares this sixth in a series of “lessons learned” from his ministry here.
There is an abbreviation in literature that is commonly used, but seldom explained. Most people pass it over. That abbreviation is “ANON” - short for anonymous. In other words, the words that precede the abbreviation have originated from an unknown author. There are thousands of well-known words that lack an author’s attribution. One I often call to mind is this:
For want of a nail the shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe the horse was lost.
For want of a horse the rider was lost.
For want of a rider the battle was lost.
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.
The intention of the anonymous writer is clear. Even the smallest miss or mistake can have colossal consequences that are visible only in hindsight. However, from a biblical perspective there are many wins that come to us through apparent misses, tragedies, and mistakes. My time of ministry at Hebron has been replete with them.
There was the young mother whose husband said that he wanted a divorce. At the time she had three young children, all under the age of ten. She had no job. Only a high school education and no one to help her. She was at the end of her rope when Jesus came and gave her a new church family, mentors, and the opportunity to go back to school and become an RN. Today she’s remarried to a wonderful Christian guy, the kids are thriving, and she gives all the glory to the Lord.
There’s the man who lost everything, except weight. His world had devolved into unbridled addiction and hopelessness. Then Jesus stepped in and gave him a family of faith where he grew in the grace and knowledge of Christ and his life impacts hundreds for the Kingdom of God.
There’s story after story of the twists and turns of life that seem at certain times to be a devastating end, but were transformed into awe-filled passages of grace. And no example is greater or more impactful than what the Lord did on May 14, 2011. That’s the day He took a vivacious 12-year-old girl, Holly Alm, home to be with Him.
Holly was traveling to a Mother’s Day dinner at Hebron with her mother, Diane. They were to meet her grandmother, Donna Lees, at that dinner. But the Lord had another plan in mind. In a harrowing and heartbreaking turn of events, they never made it to the dinner, because Holly was killed in a freakish car accident not far from her home. Hebron hosted a visitation time in the Barclay Building three days later where 1600 people paid their respects. The next day 600 people attended the memorial service.
Questions abounded at that time. “Why Lord?” “Why take a 12-year-old to heaven where there are so many older folks asking, ‘Why am I still here?’” Obviously, no sane person could claim to know the answer comprehensively. But what is certain is this, the life of Holly Alm has had eternal consequences for thousands of kids and their families. In the last ten years more than $250,000 has been raised in her honor and 1,450 kids were given the ability to attend Christian camps (camps Holly loved so much), where the life-changing Gospel of Jesus Christ has been proclaimed in word and in fun.
Soren Kierkegaard famously said, “Life must be lived forward, but can only be understood backwards.” That’s true for every one of us, but especially the Christian. Joseph summarized his life to his brothers this way, “You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good.” In fact, God is in the business of bringing good out of “missing nail” experiences.
