When God chooses to pursue someone, He is often relentless. At every corner, Milton felt God’s tug at his heart.  Soon Milton had to acknowledge that the many coincidences he was experiencing added up to signs that God wanted him for His own.  As an example, a co-worker who nobody else would work with was paired with Milton. The co-worker spent his entire day gushing words from the Bible.

While God continued His pursuit, like Jonah, Milton ran the other direction.  He drank and lived hard.  When he lay down to sleep, however, Milton’s mind was filled with questions. He often would awaken suddenly, seemingly haunted by a God he didn’t know and didn’t understand.

Milton’s daughter Shanna was both the joy and test of Milton’s life. She exuded the love of Jesus. Born with a dysfunctional liver, Shanna had her first liver transplant when she was two years old.  When she was well enough, she sang in the church choir. She often talked to Milton about Jesus and His love. Like many of us, however, Milton wondered how a loving God could allow this precious child to suffer.

When Shanna was ten years old, her transplanted liver began to fail.  She received a second liver transplant. The surgery did not go well, however, and infection set in. Shanna was rushed back to surgery. The doctors left the gaping wound open so that they could treat the infection. When Milton visited and saw his beautiful daughter with an open, oozing wound in her side, he could barely stand it. Still Shanna glowed as she spoke of her wonderful Jesus.

Milton was by Shanna’s side when she passed from this world. Overwhelmed with grief, Milton left Shanna’s room and walked to the end of the hospital hallway. He bowed his head and prayed. “God if You’re real… if You really want me… please show me.”

As tears ran down his face, he looked towards Shanna’s room. Her door opened, and Shanna, all dressed for Sunday, came twirling into the hallway. She stood before Milton and smiled before she vanished.

Milton hung his head and whispered, “God, if you can raise my baby girl from the dead like Lazarus, then there’s nothing You can’t do.”

Right then and there, Milton surrendered his life totally to Jesus. He buried Shanna on Saturday and gave his first sermon on Sunday.  Today, Milton is pastor of Hopewell Community Church in Conroe, Texas.

When Pastor Milton told me his story, he spoke softly about Shanna’s death.  He said, “At times like that you either run to God or run from Him.”  Milton chose to run to God.  As a result, his life and the lives of those he serves have been forever changed for good.

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” ~Romans 8:38-39