Brigid’s bathtub miracle

Miracles come in all shapes and sizes, and some people get more than one; just ask Brigid Vidrio-Zapata. She has experienced two powerful miracles. The first one came in 1983 while she was kneeling by her bathtub. The second came this year while she was driving, and it almost took her breath away.

1983 was a rough year for Brigid, a former prison guard. Her marriage had crumbled, and she was going through a divorce. The worst part was the battle over the custody of her five-year-old daughter. That issue came to a head on the Friday before Memorial Day of 1983. The judge ordered a joint custody arrangement, so Brigid’s former spouse was able to take the child home that afternoon. This sent Brigid into an emotional tailspin.

When she went home that afternoon without her daughter, her gloom and despair was almost palpable. A spiritual darkness settled down and enveloped her. She was almost immobilized. In an effort to fight her way out of the depression, she tried to busy herself by cleaning the house. Grabbing a can of Comet cleanser, she headed for the bathroom and knelt by the bathtub. In her grief, she began to pour the cleanser into the tub and as she did, she started to feel the heaviness of all that had been happening in her life. She began to weep bitterly from a broken heart. Her crying turned into wailing over her mistakes and loneliness, and she began to pray, “God I’ve made a mess of my life. I cannot bear this anymore. My daughter is gone with her father. It’s so dark and lonely here in my house. Would you please help me?” At that moment, something powerful came over her. No bells or whistles went off, but she knew she had been touched by Something or Someone greater than herself. In her heart she knew something had changed, but she couldn’t articulate it exactly. That came a couple of weeks later when a friend asked her to go to a non-denominational church in Fresno called “The SonRise Project.” There she had a second divine encounter and entered into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and that led to her second miracle.

With her new-found faith, life smoothed out for Brigid. She remarried and began a new career. In 1989, she started as a correctional officer in the Fresno County Jail. She stayed on that job for five years and then moved to the Women’s Prison in Chowchilla. She also changed her residence from Fresno to Madera. In 2014, Brigid retired after 25 years as a correctional officer. In 2021, she experienced her second miracle.

Several months ago, a strange growth suddenly appeared on one of Brigid’s fingers. It ran from the first knuckle to the fingernail and was about 1/2 inch high. The longer it remained, the more concerned she became. She didn’t want to hear what a doctor might tell her, so she decided to pray for a miracle. For six weeks she prayed for the miraculous removal of the growth. She quoted Isaiah 53:5 and 1 Peter 2:24, “By His stripes you were healed.” During that time, nothing happened, then on the seventh week, she got a shock.

Bridgit was driving around town running errands when a voice whispered in her right ear, “Look at your hand.” She looked down and could hardly believe her eyes. The growth had disappeared! It was completely gone! Brigid says she almost lost control of her car, such was her joy that came with the recognition that she had been given a healing miracle by God.

Today Brigid Vidrio-Zapata will tell you that she has been touched by the hand of God at least three times — the first time came when He embraced and comforted her as she poured out her heart in sorrow. The second time came when He showed her that she could know Him personally, and the third time came when He invited her to witness the restoration of her finger.

To some, it may appear ironic that it all began by the bathtub.