Pondering Miracles!

With Christmas almost upon us I’m thinking of miracles, since the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, is the Christmas miracle we celebrate.

But what do we really know about miracles? Recently, I spoke with a lady whose grown son survived an illness which almost took his life. She called it a true miracle.

Having just lost my son, Jay after 7 weeks in ICU, where he went through emergency abdominal surgery, a ventilator, cardiac arrest, ventilator again, oxygen crashes, heart problems and more, I wondered why her son got the miracle and mine didn’t. Now I count many of the things Jay survived as miracles, but he didn’t get that “last” one I prayed for—healed and home with me.

I ponder such things. Are there big miracles and little ones? Great faith and small faith? What is a true miracle? Most of us think it’s something only God can do. The doctor gives a devastating prognosis, then against all odds the patient gets well. We call it a miracle! And birth? To me, every baby is a miracle.

But what about daily things that we seldom contemplate, like breathing or waking up in the morning? We have amazing, complex bodies, but we can’t do the supernatural. That’s God!

So here’s my dilemma. I’m now home alone while my husband and three of my beautiful children, whom I miss desperately, are in heaven. And I ask God why some get miracles and my loved ones didn’t.

In my prayers and ponderings, I didn’t find an answer. But I wonder if perhaps we “all” actually got the miracles. They just look different. Perhaps, in God’s eyes, the miracle of Heaven is higher than the miracle of health.

That’s hard for our finite minds and tearful hearts to comprehend. Our chosen miracle would be to have our loved ones healed and home with us. And when that doesn’t happen we mourn the cavernous loss in our lives. But in the midst of our grief, God carries us through the pain then helps us learn to live again. And maybe, just maybe, that’s the real miracle!

Wishing you a Blessed Christmas!