"...Arise and shine forth, that thy light may be a standard for the nations" Doctrine and Covenants 115:5

Friday, October 30, 2015

A God of Miracles

Mark 5:22-43. "...Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague."
Miracle.
I am sitting here blank-minded, staring at an empty page, digging for words I cannot find.
How do I write what is now so deeply inscribed on my heart?  
Where do I begin?

Last Monday before I left for class, I was studying about miracles in the scriptures. 
When I got to my religion class that afternoon, the topic of discussion was MIRACLES. 
Miracles.
Miracles on the Roads of Palestine. Miracles performed by Christ during His earthly ministry. The fish and bread that fed thousands, the children and people raised from the dead, the healing of the woman with an issue of blood, the list goes on and on and on... 
MIRACLES. 
These specific miracles occurred when Christ was on the earth. But if there is one thing of which I am certain, it is this: God is unchanging. God has the same undying love for us now as he had for us when these miracles were performed. 
So this is my conclusion: God has not ceased to be a God of miracles. Miracles are still happening everywhere. 
Every day, even.

I didn't always believe in miracles. No lepers were being healed in front of me, so I didn't have any reason to believe in them. Right? Wrong.
May 4th, 2015. That is the first day I decided to study miracles in the scriptures. And that is the day I discovered that I had so many reasons to believe in miracles. They were happening right before my eyes, every day. All it took was Sister Burbank saying one thing to me that morning after personal study; "May the Fourth be with you!" We laughed at our cliche nerdiness for a minute, but then realization hit me, and it hit me hard: Evidence of miracles was sitting directly across from me at our desk. God placed Sister Burbank in my life, and if He hadn't, I, quite literally and quite possibly, would not be here today. 
Miracle.
In that split-second of mind-blowing recognition, I had a huge list of miracles pop into my head, and it was, if I may use the term, miraculous. 
How many miracles has God performed in my life? Countless.

All throughout that day, I was overwhelmed with the realization that my entire life had been full of little (and BIG) miracles that I had completely overlooked, considered to be luck, or labeled as just a coincidence. But there are no such things as coincidences. There is no luck. MIRACLES HAPPEN. They happen every day. I used to think that we overuse the phrase "it's a miracle..." But maybe we use it just enough. Maybe as often as we use the phrase, whether we say it playfully or not, is as often as God performs {unnoticed} miracles in a day.

But here is a question that needs to be asked:
Do I have the faith to see miracles in my everyday life now? 

Sister Burbank and I prayed together countless times a day in Thailand, and in each and every prayer we would humbly utter the words, "please help us to see miracles." At first, I thought we were asking God to perform miracles. 
However, the more I thought about the wording of her prayers, the more I understood. We weren't asking God to perform more miracles, but to have our eyes opened to the miracles that He already performs every day.
And our eyes were opened to them. 

Can I do that now? Yes. Has God stopped performing miracles in my life? Absolutely not. They are still happening all around me.

When I came home 5 1/2 months ago, I thought I would never be better. I thought I was at the end of the line. There was nothing that could possibly be done. Guess what? I was wrong. MIRACLE.

Yesterday I was again certain of that very same thing. Guess what? Wrong again. MIRACLE.

Today I felt like I was being ground into the dirt, crushed under heavy stones, with no escaping. Then this video appeared on my computer home page: Lifting Burdens. (WATCH IT.)
MIRACLE.

I have learned that miracles happen all the time, even when we feel undeserving of them.
But when we have faith, when we build our foundation on Jesus Christ, and when we recognize that through Him, all things are possible, even miracles, that is when miracles happen the most.

On Monday, I decided that I would search out the miracles in each and every day. I resolved to strengthen my faith in Jesus Christ, and to solidify my foundation on Him. I continually pray for my eyes to be opened to miracles.
So far, I have not been disappointed.
I believe in miracles.





(The word miracle can be seen 38 times in this post.
How many miracles can be seen in my day today?)



No comments:

Post a Comment