Two Daughters - 12 years

Sylvia Jeronimo
Feb 4
3 min read

**With Jesus, there is deliverance - reach out to touch him and he will touch you in return**

Jairus watched as his twelve year old daughter’s laughter faded into silence. What began as a minor illness soon stole her joy—no more playful antics, no more bright-eyed wonder. The house, once filled with giggles, now echoed with whispered conversations and quiet weeping. His little girl lay still, her once vibrant face now pale, her body weak. A shadow of the child he once knew.

Each morning, hope flickered. Maybe today is the day she turns the corner. Maybe today she will be well again. But night after night, that hope was crushed. The ache of helplessness settled deep in his soul. He could do nothing. He was losing her.

And then—his only hope, his final hope—Jesus.

Jairus pushed through the crowd, desperation in his every step. Falling to his knees before the Rabbi, he pleaded, not just for his daughter’s life but for his own. For healing, for wholeness. For a miracle.

And Jesus agreed to come.

Relief washed over Jairus like sunlight breaking through storm clouds. Hope surged. They were on their way—his daughter would be healed! Life would return to normal.

But then—an interruption.

A woman, twelve years afflicted, reached out to touch Jesus’ robe. And in that moment of divine exchange, her suffering ended. Power flowed from Jesus, and she was made whole. But the delay cost precious time. One life in exchange for another.

The words Jairus had dreaded most came: “Your daughter is dead. Do not trouble the Teacher anymore.”

His heart shattered. Hope vanished. He was so close. Why this interruption? If only they hadn’t stopped. If only they had arrived sooner. If only…

But Jesus turned to him, meeting his despair with an impossible command: “Do not be afraid; only believe.” (Luke 8:50)

A choice lay before Jairus. He could surrender to grief, let the weight of loss crush him. Or—against all reason—he could believe.

Jesus saw what Jairus could not. He saw resurrection. He saw the breath of life returning to a lifeless girl. He saw a father’s sorrow transformed into unspeakable joy. What would Jairus choose to see?

And so Jairus walked forward in faith. And Jesus did the impossible.

His daughter lived.

Jesus restored two daughters to their Heavenly Father.

Life interrupted.

I know that feeling. Maybe you do too.

For three years, I’ve wrestled with change, with loss. I wanted life to stay the same—predictable, unshaken, safe. But then, the interruption came. The thing I feared happened. And suddenly, I saw everything through the lens of loss.

But what if I chose to see it differently? What if loss is not the end of the story?

When Jairus’ daughter died, the hope of resurrection became his to claim. His greatest loss became the backdrop for his greatest miracle.

What if my loss holds the seeds of something new? What if, in the tension between sorrow and joy, I choose to believe?

Paul reminds us: “And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13)

Hope stands in the middle. It needs faith in God on one side and love for God on the other to hold it up. Without them, hope in God crumbles. But with them? Hope stands firm.

God’s power always defies reality. Holy hope defies gravity. It keeps us walking, step by step, through what crowds our lives and chokes out joy. It keeps us reaching—like the woman in the crowd, like Jairus—pushing through, daring to believe.

Jairus reached out to Jesus because of what he could lose.

The woman reached out because of what she could gain.

Both found life in the hands of Christ.

Jesus does not turn away from our despair or our dare. He does not dismiss our trembling faith. He calls us to take courage, to persist, to push through, even when all seems lost. “Do not be afraid; only believe.”

So today, in the middle of life interrupted, I choose to look into the eyes of Jesus. To hold sorrow and joy together. To expect miracles. To believe.

May our hearts swell with the hope of new creation, anchored in the promises of God, outlasting the trials of this fleeting world.

Come, Lord Jesus.

Bring us into your eternal kingdom.

Amen.