Miracles

God keeps performing miracles in my life. Small miracles just keep happening in my life, often in response to prayers.

And yet I continue to be surprised every time. It makes me wonder whether my faith is really as strong as I think it is. If I truly believed in miracles and in the power of prayer, shouldn’t I not be surprised when these things happen? I think God is trying to teach me something about faith.

I’ve had some long standing health issues about which I’ve been advised (numerous times) that I’d just need to “learn to live with it.” Most of them followed a year-long bout with Lyme Disease, before which I was uncommonly strong, amazingly healthy, and an avid outdoors enthusiast … and after which a lot of my previously active lifestyle was simply no longer possible.

For the most part I have tried not to focus on what I can’t do (I can’t fly like a bird or swim like a fish or swing through the trees like a chimpanzee either) and focus on living the fullest life possible using the abilities I do have, rather than fretting over the absence of those things I can’t do.

But recently in a long conversation with God, almost out of nowhere, I found myself telling God that I wished some of my physical limitations were not as limiting as they are.

Then I pretty much forgot about that prayer and just carried on as usual.

A few days later I felt a little tired one day and decided to lay down for a 10-minute nap. When I awoke from the nap I felt a little odd, and started stretching and moving my body. Much to my amazement I found myself able to bend and stretch and move and do some things that I haven’t been able to do in years. I was shocked, and over and over again kept trying various motions and stretches again, just to make sure I hadn’t imagined it.

Of course I am now quite out of shape from not using my body in a long time in ways I once took for granted. But I could definitely feel a difference, and realized that I needed to “use it or lose it” with some of those motions that I can now, almost miraculously, do again.

I didn’t connect any of that with my earlier prayerful conversation with God until days later.

Then suddenly I realized, “OMG! This is what I told God I hoped for, and He has miraculously made it happen!”

It’s not as dramatic as, “rise and walk,” when the paralyzed man was suddenly able to walk upon Jesus command. But it’s definitely a change — as in, being able to move previously painful joints in much more normal ways again with very little pain … for the first time in years. Of course I still need to rebuild a lot of physical strength, flexibility and endurance I’ve lost in order to really turn things around. But physical training is something I can do. (I think I see a Winter personal-improvement project taking shape…)

That doesn’t make it any less of a miracle. Praise God!!!

God, I don’t know when or why You choose to bless me with Your miracles, but I am totally blown away every time You do. Hallelujah! How can I bear witness? How can I serve You? Please show me the way to best glorify You, God. I am all Yours – Your will be done.

Amen.