“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭12‬:‭21‬ ‭

Among the many sweet comments was one from my mom’s sister, Aunt Jo Jo. She simply wrote, “Remind me to tell you my koala bear story when you come visit.”

A few weeks later, as my husband, Joey, and I continued our travels, we stopped into South Carolina to visit my aunt and uncle. While giving us a tour of their home, Aunt Jo Jo reminded me about her koala bear story.

I listened, expecting a sweet little memory with a happy ending.

What I heard instead broke my heart.

When my aunt was a little girl, she had a beloved stuffed koala bear that she kept on her bed. One day my mom (her big sister) took it and hid it in a closet. Weeks later, my aunt finally discovered her missing koala and happily returned it to its rightful place on her bed.

But her happiness was short-lived.

My mom took her koala again. This time she threw it in the trash, never to be seen again. And sadly, this is where her story ended.

I felt terrible.

I knew my mom had only been a child herself and had most likely forgotten all about the incident. But what troubled me most was that my mom was no longer alive to make things right.

Regardless of what happened all those years ago, I truly believe if my mom had known how deeply her actions had hurt her little sister, she’d want to apologize for the pain that Jo Jo was still carrying 70+ years later.

That night I went to bed feeling angry. Angry at my aunt for telling me that story. Angry at my mom for treating her sister that way. And angry at myself for being so sensitive about something that had happened so long ago.

Before falling asleep, I gave it all to God, hoping I’d wake up in the morning with a lighter heart.

But as Joey and I sat at the airport waiting for our flight out, I realized my heart was still heavy over a stuffed animal from 7 decades ago.

Then, almost like a whisper, a little voice from within said:

“Buy her a Koala Bear.”

It was such a silly thought. Yet something about it felt right.

The next thing I knew, I was browsing Amazon for the perfect stuffed Koala. When I shared my idea with Joey, he loved it. He suggested we send thank-you gifts to both my aunt and uncle for their gracious hospitality.

So I picked out a cuddly koala for Aunt Jo Jo, and Joey found some Jack Daniel’s memorabilia to add to my uncle’s collection.

A few days later we received a text with photos and a big “Thank you!”

When I saw Aunt Jo Jo’s teary eyed smile, I knew that little stuffed animal had brought healing to her heart.

I then understood that I wasn’t being overly sensitive, I was being nudged by God (and maybe mom too) to tend to a childhood wound that never quite healed. In His own beautiful way, God was allowing me to be apart of a healing moment that my mom never got the opportunity to offer.

When I spoke with my aunt afterward, she expressed how happy the gift had made her. I shared that I had chosen the koala for her on behalf of my mom.

Aunt Jo Jo recently told me she named her Koala “KK”.

K for Kim and K for Karen (my mom’s name). I also was sent a photo of K.K’s home on the shelf alongside Uncle Jim’s childhood stuffed bear. So while I couldn’t change the past, I could offer a small gesture of love in the present …that would be cherished into the future.

What began as my own childhood dream of holding a koala in Australia had unexpectedly become something far more meaningful.

What a beautiful reminder that we don’t have to be overcome by the hurtful things of this world. With God’s help, we can overcome them with good.

Is there something weighing on your heart that the Lord keeps bringing to mind? Don’t be too quick to dismiss those gentle nudges. When we surrender our hurt to Him, He will create beauty from the ashes.

“The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, … to comfort all who mourn …to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭61‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬, excerpts