Joyless or Joyful

In 2019, there was a surge within the Southern Baptist Convention encouraging involvement in a movement called Who’s Your One? The concept was simple but powerful: pray for one person for 30 days leading up to Easter.

What I didn’t realize at the time was that my prayer for “the one” had begun nearly a decade earlier.

In 2010, my son-in-love came into my life, and I began praying earnestly for him. He was—and still is—a truly wonderful person whom I adore. He worked hard to provide for my daughter and grandson and carried a strong work ethic. He was a devoted father and husband. He wasn’t perfect by any means, but I knew God had a plan for his life. So I prayed for God to move in him.

In 2019, I nailed his name to a wooden cross in the sanctuary of my small country church. I never gave up. Over the years, I became frustrated and wanted to throw in the towel more than once. Yet that still, small, mighty voice would always encourage me to keep praying.

Around 2020, I ordered a Bible and mailed it to him anonymously, along with a letter. That Bible sat untouched, still sealed in its packaging. I would see it every time I visited their house.

No marriage is perfect, and life happens. In 2025, after a bitter breakup, his world came crashing down. He was arrested in August of that year. I was—and still am—devastated. Still, I kept praying.

I have been chastised for “taking his side,” which is not the case at all. What I did was change the way I prayed.

Not long after his arrest, a local minister walked into the jail and immediately made a connection with him. There, in that place, he gave his life to the Lord. Every tear, every moment of despair was worth it so God could pull him out. Jesus left the ninety-nine for the one (Luke 15:4–7). Scripture shows us repeatedly that Jesus often ministered one-on-one.

At the same time, my familial relationships remain broken—through no choice of my own. I have come to understand that God will remove anyone who stands in the way of His plan. Anyone. The wounds caused by broken parent-child bonds linger deeply, but God heals and binds them up (Psalm 147:3).

You see, my son-in-love did not know Jesus. I have a heart for the lost. The seeds of salvation were planted early in the lives of my children. First Corinthians 3:6–7 reminds us that while we plant and water, God makes things grow. As parents, it is vital our children understand one truth: we cannot take them to Heaven. That decision is personal.

I now communicate with my son-in-love daily through email and remain in close contact with his mother. Recently, he told me there was a Bible in his house, but he didn’t know where it came from. He asked his mother to bring it to him. In that moment, I cried tears of joy and finally told him the story behind that Bible.

I truly believe in the power of prayer. I have faith in the goodness of God. I know the one I prayed for has been saved by His grace. There is still healing needed for our family, but healing and true repentance often require brokenness first. God breaks us, then rebuilds us the way He designed us to be—in His image.