One More Year of Choices
By Barbara Dahlgren
One definition of a miracle is an extraordinary event that brings a welcomed consequence. Years ago, before moving pictures, visual effects, and technology that constantly shocks the senses, people seemed to appreciate their surroundings more. They realized that life itself is a miracle. The whole universe is a miracle.
Perhaps these classic authors and poets were on to something…
Ralph Waldo Emerson: “The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miracle in the common.”
John Donne: “There is nothing that God hath established in a constant course of nature . . . but would seem a Miracle, and exercise our admiration, if it were done but once.” Donne was referring to things such as flowers blooming, the sun rising, or the stars appearing in the sky. Perhaps if we had seen an oak tree grow strong and tall from one little acorn in fast motion, before our very eyes, we might consider it a miracle.
Walt Whitman: “To me every hour of the light and dark is a miracle. Every cubic inch of space is a miracle. . .”
Here’s another from one of the smartest men in the world…
Albert Einstein: “There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is.”
Sometimes we are so busy looking somewhere else for a miracle, we can’t see the ones before our very eyes. Jesus told the disciples, “Do you have eyes but fail to see…?” The same might apply to us. That was certainly the case with those who were looking for Christ to come. Since they were looking for a Messiah descending from heaven with a flaming sword of righteousness, they did not recognize the Christ child in the manger as their Savior. They missed what was right before their eyes.
How much do we miss every day? Can we see God in ordinary, everyday miracles? Miracles like…
- Finding your lost car keys without having to spend all day looking for them.
- Losing your Visa card with absolutely no idea of where it might be when Target unexpectedly calls to say you left it there.
- Receiving an unexpected note of appreciation for no reason at all – just because you are YOU!
- The grocery line being short when you are in a hurry.
- Singing your lungs out because your favorite oldies song came on the radio.
- Answering the phone to hear your son from college saying he just called to say, “I love you,” and doesn’t even ask for money.
- All the lights being green on your way to work.
- Enjoying the shade of an oak tree and realizing it grew from one little acorn.
- A healthy child being born.
Consider this… If we don’t recognize and appreciate the ordinary miracles in our everyday lives, it’s likely we won’t recognize the bigger ones when they come our way. We’ll think it’s a visual effect.
Suggestions for practicing this choice…
Think about the wisdom in this story: When a teacher asked her class to list the Seven Wonders of the World, one child wrote: to see, to hear, to touch, to taste, to feel, to laugh, and to love.
When you see a beautiful rainbow, think: “What a miracle!”
When you hear a laughing child, think, “What a miracle!”
When you taste a delicious meal prepared by loving hands, think: “What a miracle!”
When you smell fragrant roses, think: “What a miracle!” Get the idea????
