God’s Mercy During Dark Moments

Ellis’ Story of Faith

Ellis Goldstein was born into a traditional Jewish family with roots in eastern Europe. Religious ritual without relationship marked his early years. Like many boys of his generation, he attended Hebrew school and prepared for his Bar Mitzvah, dutifully learning the language and customs of his faith. Yet something essential was missing—he relayed that no one had ever explained to him the deeper purpose, spiritual significance, or—most importantly—possibility of a personal relationship with God. Ellis describes his religious education as feeling hollow. Filled with a deep love for his Jewish heritage, his soul yearned for a deeper union with the God of Israel—one that would provide a more profound spiritual reality and connection.

Everything changed for Ellis during his college years at Penn State. Through conversations with a campus mentor, he began exploring passages in the Hebrew Scriptures about the Messiah. Initially skeptical and confused, he struggled to understand how these ancient biblical prophecies could have relevance to his modern life. Then, in a moment of divine revelation that Ellis refers to as having “a veil lifted,” he suddenly understood that Jesus was his Messiah. This revelation was not merely an intellectual acknowledgment but a deep recognition in his heart that transformed his entire worldview. The same Scriptures he had studied mechanically as a child now came alive as God’s personal letter to him.

This newfound faith became the cornerstone of Ellis’s family life. He and his wife, Colleen, raised their daughter, Heather, with this same vibrant faith that had transformed their own lives. Their joy knew no bounds when, at a very young age, Heather made her own decision to embrace Jesus as her Messiah. She grew into an exceptional young woman—academically gifted, wise beyond her years, and someone her peers sought out for guidance and counsel.

Then came the phone call that would shatter their world. On January 19, 1994, as Ellis stood in the family’s garage preparing to leave, state police pulled into their driveway. They handed him Heather’s driver’s license and delivered devastating news: Their seventeen-year-old daughter had died in a car accident. The tragedy that no parent should ever face became their reality.

Years later, another crushing blow struck the already wounded family. Colleen began experiencing throat problems that led to a daunting diagnosis: She had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Ellis watched helplessly as this cruel neurodegenerative disease systematically robbed his beloved wife of her ability to speak, write, and eventually breathe properly. When Colleen expressed that her suffering had become unbearable and that she longed to be with the Lord, he faced the agonizing reality of losing his remaining family member. After a Sunday of labored breathing, hospice nurses gently informed him that Colleen would not be coming home. At 3:30 a.m., nurses woke him with words every spouse dreads hearing: “Your wife is gone.”

Standing alone in that hospice room, having lost both his daughter and his wife, he cried out to God in raw anguish: “You’ve taken away my entire family! What am I supposed to do?” The loneliness felt beyond description—a pain he described as deep enough to challenge the very foundation of his faith. Yet it was precisely in this darkest valley that God’s grace became most visible.

While Heather’s death caused Ellis to question God’s love for a long time, Colleen’s passing revealed something different—not doubt, but profound assurance. He saw God’s mercy and grace displayed in ways he never expected. He recognized that both his daughter and his wife had transitioned from earthly bodies into God’s eternal presence. Their faith in Jesus as Messiah had secured their place in God’s presence, transforming death from an ending into an eventual reunion.

Through unimaginable loss, Ellis’s testimony reveals how God provides strength during life’s tragedies and even the ability to find hope, purpose, and gratitude despite them. His story echoes the psalmist’s journey through dark valleys, ultimately discovering that God’s love and presence remain constant even when everything familiar is stripped away (Psalm 23). This faith, tested by fire and found genuine, is a testament to God’s sustaining power when human strength fails.