Do You Believe In Miracles?

“A miracle is often the willingness to see the common in an uncommon way.”
Noah Benshea

The Boston bombings shocked us. With our eyes glued to our televisions, we cried for those affected, wondering, “Why? Who could do such a thing?” We live in a time where terrorist acts, natural disasters, and corruption are more and more prevalent. These tragedies can suffocate our vision, leaving us struggling to find the good again. To find a light in the darkness. To find the miracles.

Miracles – Do They Still Exist?

During my recent indulgence into the book, “The Case For Faith” by Lee Strobel (extraordinary book, by the way), I came across the following information:

“All three monotheistic religions–Christianity, Judaism, and Islam–recognize the validity of miracles as a means of confirming a message from God. Even famed skeptic Bertrand Russell conceded that miracles would authenticate a true claim.”

We’ve read about numerous miracles in the bible (a book revealed to be historically reliable): Moses’ staff turning into a snake (Exodus 4:1); God sending down fire from heaven in Elijah’s presence on Mount Carmel (1 Kings, 18:38); Lazarus being raised from the dead (John 11:44). These miracles not only confirmed our Lord’s existence and power, but also the validity of his prophets and His presence among His people. Clear messages from God.

This made me wonder, how different would this world be if we currently experienced these types of miracles? Despite Russell’s statement above, miracles shouldn’t be the basis of our faith; though, they are a reminder that God is among us, orchestrating all that is good. In my quest to demonstrate that God’s goodness dominates over malicious occurrences, I came up with the following list of what I would deem miracles:

• The brilliant construction of the human body: the skeletal, muscular, nervous, cardiovascular, digestive, sensory, and reproductive systems all working in harmony. As my father used to say, “Each time I look in the mirror at the miraculous creation of the human body, I am reminded that there is a God.”

• The unplanned, unfathomable sequential events that bring a family together. (*Indulge in the movie Impossible. I highly recommend this film, a true story about a family’s survival in the wake of the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004. The impossible becomes possible.)

• Strangers running to help those who are in need, with their own lives hanging in the balance. (*This didn’t just happen at the Boston Marathon, this happens every day, everywhere.)

• Allow me to introduce you to Paxton and Lennox (featured in the picture above). Their brave mom, Susan, gave birth to them at 27 weeks, followed by approximately six weeks of incubation. Though, this may appear unfortunate, God knew what we didn’t  Two months after their birth, Susan received her pathology report. Each child’s placenta presented a plethora of blood clots and dead spots. If Susan had carried Paxton and Lennox for longer than 27 weeks, the boys may not have survived. This brought a nurse with 40 years of experience to tears. These precious boys are now happy and healthy–ready to take on the world, one baby step at a time.

“It was possible that a miracle was not something that happened to you,
but rather something that didn’t.”
Jodi Picoult

Why shouldn’t these events be considered miracles? God is right beside us. He is surfacing the joy above our pain. He is reassuring us of His presence–that we are not alone. That he loves us. That anything is possible through His hands.

We may forget to recognize the miracles, but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist.

“This isn’t just ‘another day, another dollar.’ It’s more like ‘another day, another miracle.’”
Victoria Moran

Question: What miracles have you experienced? I’d love to hear/read!

Twitter: @AliciaMSmith7