Everyday Miracles

For the past seven years or better I have rolled out of bed and drifted through my life without truly seeing the wonders around me. I always prayed to the Lord and waited to be knocked over the head with His answer to my prayers. I never sat still long enough to listen to what He was telling me. I did not find a quiet place to commune with Him and receive His instructions, I forged ahead with my own plans thinking that He was not listening or did not want to give me what I had asked for. It took listening to my friend who had knocked on death’s door and been rejected for me to realize that God really was listening to me and He really was trying to have a deep relationship with me; I just was too hard-headed or dense to hear Him instructing me. My friend, Jim, told me that each day of his recovery journey is a gift from God, each step he is able to take without assistance is a miracle and each breath that he breathes into his severely damaged lungs is a miracle. Listening to Jim’s labored breathing and hearing the awe and love in his voice when he speaks of the miracles that happen to him every day humbled be beyond anything else I could have witnessed.

I had always thought of miracles in terms of huge events that the multitudes witnessed and gave the glory to the Lord. I never considered what was happening in my daily life to be anything miraculous. But I started really looking and examining every detail that took place in my life. One day I was short on money but needed gas to get to work. I sent up an entreaty to the Lord to help. The day was colder than normal so I slipped my heavier coat on and when I put my hand in my pocket I felt a piece of paper. It was not just a piece of paper; it was a $20 bill that I had forgotten. It was a miracle. Another instance happened when I was sitting with my daughter on the couch one evening. It had been a difficult day and I was in a sour mood; she was also in a sour mood. I sat there silently praying to the Lord for wisdom and guidance regarding a problem at work and also how to not bring my moodiness home and heap it onto my daughter. After about 20 minutes of watching a television show together, my daughter turned to me and told me that I was the best mommy in the world even if I was a little cranky. That was an immediate mood lifter and another miracle.

Once I started really taking the time to listen to the Lord and to open my eyes and see what He was doing within my life I realized that He has been here all along loving me and caring for me in the everyday miracles that I experience. I now get out of bed with the expectation that I will hear Him and witness an amazing feat that maybe only I will notice but it is no less miraculous than the miracles that are witnessed by the masses.