HOW GOD CAN USE UNEXPECTED THINGS TO HEAL YOU
A Story of Unexpected Kindness and Quiet Healing
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort.”
—2 Corinthians 1:3–4 (NKJV)
There are some stories that don’t quite fit into neat categories.
They make you pause…
tilt your head…
and say, “That shouldn’t be possible.”
Wally is one of those stories.
He’s an American alligator—rescued out of Florida, not far from the Disney World area. Today, he’s over five feet long, with around eighty razor-sharp teeth and a bite force strong enough to crush bone.
In every natural sense… he should be dangerous.
Those who have worked with alligators for years will tell you plainly:
You don’t play with them.
You don’t put your hands near their mouth.
You don’t swim beside them.
They bite. That’s what they do.
And yet, for seven years… Wally hasn’t.
Not once.
No incidents.
No sudden attacks.
No “close calls” that turned into something worse.
Just the opposite.
He walks beside people.
He moves through crowds calmly.
He even swims in pools surrounded by children—gently drifting from one to another, as if he’s aware of their presence and chooses peace.
He doesn’t snap.
He doesn’t lunge.
He doesn’t react the way every instinct says he should. He is one of a kind.
It doesn’t make sense.
And I want to say this clearly before going any further—
I do not recommend this.
I have always believed—and still believe—that keeping reptiles like this, interacting with them in this way, is extremely dangerous, careless, and unwise. This is not something to imitate or experiment with.
This is not a model.
This is an exception.
A rare, unusual, almost unexplainable exception.
And for that reason, I see something more in it.
I see the hand of God.
Because Wally’s story isn’t just about what he doesn’t do…
It’s about what he has done.
The man who cares for him walked through a season most of us would struggle to survive.
In a matter of days, he lost multiple family members… lifelong friends… one loss after another, until the weight became unbearable.
He shut down.
Not physically—but inwardly.
The kind of grief that takes the life out of everything.
The kind that leaves you sitting in silence, unsure how to move forward.
And in that place… Wally drew near.
Not as a spectacle.
Not as a novelty.
But as a quiet presence.
Climbing up beside him.
Resting near him.
Even, at times, laying his head close… staying longer than expected.
Day after day.
Something began to shift.
Not instantly.
Not dramatically.
But steadily.
Until one day, a doctor said something that sounded almost unbelievable:
“Why don’t you make him your emotional support animal?”
And somehow… against all expectation…
He became just that.
An emotional support alligator. lol
And not just in name.
Wally began to do what emotional support animals are meant to do—bringing calm, drawing people out of anxiety, even helping those who struggled deeply with fear and social withdrawal.
There was a young woman, overwhelmed with anxiety, barely able to function in normal situations…
And through time spent around Wally, something changed.
She began to open up.
To engage again.
To live again.
And you begin to realize…
This isn’t just unusual.
It’s meaningful.
Because here is one of the most feared creatures in the world…
Bringing comfort.
One of the most unpredictable animals…
Becoming a source of peace.
And it reminds me of how God works.
He doesn’t always send what we expect.
He doesn’t always move in ways we can easily explain.
Sometimes… He takes what is feared…
and transforms it into something that heals.
Scripture tells us that He is near to the brokenhearted.
Not distant.
Not waiting for us to figure it out.
Near.
And sometimes that nearness comes quietly.
Through something we didn’t ask for.
Through something we don’t fully understand.
Through something that, at first glance, doesn’t even seem to fit.
But carries His touch.
Now, I’m not suggesting God sends alligators into our lives.
But I am saying this—
He is not limited by what we think He should use.
He can bring comfort through the unexpected.
He can restore through the unlikely.
He can meet you in ways that don’t follow your expectations… but meet your need exactly.
And maybe that’s where you are today.
Things haven’t unfolded the way you thought they would.
The help didn’t come in the form you expected.
The answers feel delayed.
But don’t miss Him… just because He didn’t come the way you imagined.
Look again.
You may find His hand…
right there in the middle of something you never would have chosen.
Gentle.
Steady.
Faithful.
And sometimes, dear one…
the most unexpected things in your life
becomes the very place where God begins to heal you.
With Love,
Steve Porter
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What a story!
What a word to ponder!
We have a saviour!
Who heals our hearts!
Great word!♡