It was a happy Easter Day, a happy sunny day, and also a happy baptism day. My girl stood in front of the whole church to proclaim her love for Jesus, her desire to get baptized, and her joy of having Jesus in her heart.

Sadly, it was also a fever day for her, as we had failed to rid her of the nasty fever that had started two days ago. But she was determined to get baptized, so after talking to our family doctor and pastor, we decided to go for sprinkling instead of full immersion.

Why did this happen? What was God’s point of having her sick on her big day? I was tempted to ask these questions, but I didn’t. Even if God purposely made her sick or prevented her from recovering on her big day, it would not have done me any good to understand the deep spiritual ramifications of it all.

What I did ask myself was, What good did God make out of it? How did I see God’s grace and mercy and blessings in spite of her being sick? And there were plenty. She got through her whole testimony which was simple yet powerful and her friends were there to witness this event and share the joy with her.

Also, while I want her to remember this day forever and the joy of getting baptized, I hope she will also remember this day knowing that life has its ups and downs, that God did not promise to shield us from troubles even when we are doing something for His glory, but that we have Him and the community of believers walking with us and cheering for us when we are too weak to walk by ourselves.

It was a happy Easter day after all — because He Lives, and He lives within my daughter’s heart and ours.

Wendy Choy-Chan came to North America from Hong Kong when she was 15.  She is now a full-time mom and part-time student at Fuller Northwest studying for her MA in Theology.  She lives with her husband and two daughters in Seattle, WA.