“Do you like my new hoodie?” my adult daughter, Lea, said, holding out the fabric so that everyone in our family could read it. The hoodie had on it the words, “Nothing is really broken until your dad can’t fix it.” 

We all laughed out loud. 

My husband, Eric, is quite the handyman, and our adult kids count on him to keep their cars, washing machines, stoves and everything else in good working order. 

No one in our family ever calls a repairman until Eric takes a crack at it first. It not only saves money but he often does a more thorough job than the professionals. “If my daughter is going to ride around in this car, I’m going to make sure it’s fixed the right way,” he’d say. Same thing for our son’s barbecue and even Eric’s mom’s satellite dish.

Eric is our family’s Mr. Fix It, and we are all thankful for him.

“I’m Here”

While I loved Lea’s hoodie, it also made me sad.

In the last two years, I’ve lost both my biological father and my stepdad, one to cancer and the other to a heart attack. Between the two of them, they’d been there for me my whole life, fixing countless broken toys, flat tires and, later, even a few broken hearts. Now, they were both gone and, this time, my broken heart seemed irreparable. 

I turned away and blinked back tears, hoping no one would notice—but Eric did. He watches me more closely these days. 

He squeezed my hand. “I know I can’t fix this,” he whispered, “but I’m here to walk through it with you.”

I nodded my thanks.

Repaired and Redeemed

Later, when Eric and I were alone, I thanked him again for noticing that Lea’s hoodie had made me emotional. “Sometimes I just feel so broken,” I said. “Like I’ll never feel like my old self again.”

“Remember what Lea’s hoodie said? Nothing is really broken until your dad can’t fix it.”

“But my dad … both my dads ….”

He shook his head. “You’ve got another Dad, and He specializes in fixing broken things.”

Of course, he was right. I thought of our many friends and family who’d been in seemingly hopeless situations, but God had repaired and redeemed them. A close friend who’d spent a decade in addiction, but God had rescued him, and now he ran a ministry to help others who were struggling. Other friends who were on the brink of divorce, but God healed their marriage, making it stronger than ever. 

Father Fixes Best

And a recent answered prayer—a miracle, really—in our own family. When my three oldest kids grew up and moved into their own homes, they stopped attending church. Faith just took a backseat in their busy lives. One of them even said that they were questioning what they believed. Eric and I prayed for years, and about six months ago, our kids started coming to church with us again. Now, our family fills a whole pew every Sunday, and it brings tears to my eyes nearly every week. All five of my children are growing in their faith. 

Even though I’d prayed for that exact thing, I’m not sure I truly believed it would happen.

God had stepped in, working in my kids’ hearts, drawing them back to Himself and His love. The entire world was broken by sin, and God sent Jesus to heal His creation and offer us a path back to a relationship with Him. He did that because He loves us. How could I ever have doubted that He could fix my own family? 

Or my own heart, broken by painful losses?

It turns out, Lea’s hoodie is true for me, too. Nothing is broken until my Father in heaven can’t fix it, and there’s nothing He can’t fix.