Daily Miracles

-
The Miracle of Spring - Legend of St Francis
By Giotto [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons 

As a child growing up, I thought miracles were confined to the pages of holy books.  They were events from a long ago time that happened to saints and sinners who later became saints.  Miracles were cool to read about, but I didn't see them happening in the present.

One day, after reading another Lives of the Saints story, I mused aloud that it was too bad that miracles still didn't happen.  My mother stopped what she was doing and asked me to come to her.  She pointed at my baby brother. "What is that?" she asked.

"My brother," I answered puzzled.

"Yes, but he is also a miracle!  And, for that matter, so are you!"

She then launched into a long discussion about how miracles happen every second of every day if we just open our eyes to see them.

Over the many years that followed this lesson, I have seen miracles of all sizes and shapes, involving all kinds of people around the world.  Sometimes the miracles happen after a horribly tragic event, sometimes they occur in the silence of a sunset, and sometimes the burst on the scene during the birth of a new day.

The story of young Malala Yousafzai is a miracle of faith, fortitude and courage.  Out of her horrific ordeal, she has risen as a shining light in our world.  Her grace and love for humanity shine from her beautiful eyes.  She has no time for self-pity or revenge...only love and peacemaking.  

We do not know where the road leads, nor do we know who we will meet along the way, but one thing we can be sure of is that there will be plenty of miracles. 

May Creator bless each of us with eyes that see with a pure heart and mouths that speak of love and peace, even in the face of hatred, so that we, too, will be come catalysts for miracles.
 _____
Postscript:  A little miracle here...unbeknownst to me, today is Malala's 17th birthday!  I just realized this when I got a post from Amnesty International.  Guess Spirit wanted me to write this blog post today!
 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bible Sisters

-
Image
As a child, Bible stories fascinated me. I tried to imagine what it was like to live in times so long ago. Rarely, however, did I ever see any connection to what happened in ancient times with what was happening in my life. After all, my world was close to 2000 years older and far from the lands of Pharaohs and Roman invaders.  As I grew, I learned to see the lessons within Scripture. But, again, I found it difficult to connect to these men who battled giants or spoke eloquent words in the Temple. The only women I remember mentioned were few and far between. How I wished there was more for a woman to connect with in the Bible. A few weeks ago, I had the great pleasure of receiving a copy of Bible Sisters by Rev. Gennifer Benjamin Brooks in the mail. Bible Sisters is a 365-day devotional that includes the well-known women of the Bible (Eve, Sarah, Ruth, Rebecca, Mary, Martha...) as well as those we know little about and who often go unnamed like Hagar or the Widow of Zar...
Read more

Whispers

-
Image
Photo Credit: (c) 2018 Linda M. Rhinehart Neas When I was, as my mother would say, a wee sprout, I had my first experience with hearing that soft whisper that has warned me, inspired me, and on occasion, nagged me. Perhaps because I was raised in a household where being "fey" was looked at as normal, I never questioned that this was not real.  I can't tell you what the first thing I "heard" was, but I do remember talking to my mother about it when I was about six years old. We had had a lesson in school where sister had told the class about a saint who heard "the whispers of the angels." I asked Momma if that was who was speaking to me.  I still remember her looking very seriously into my eyes and saying, "Lindy, it might be angels, it might be what artists call the muse, or it might be what some people call, 'the voice of your ancestors or guides.' I don't know, but I do know you need to listen and pay attention to what you he...
Read more

Ministering Without a Church

-
Image
Over the past few days, several people have asked me where my church is.  Honestly, I stumble over answering this question.  My "church" is the world. But, when I say that, people take a step back and look at me with shock or suspicion.  When I answer that I don't have one, they apologize and begin listing all the churches they know looking for ministers. In reality, I am not a minister to one denomination or faith path, which means I do not have a pulpit from which I preach every Sunday.  I am an ordained interfaith/interspiritual minister.  Ministry within this context is far-reaching. Ministry literally means serving others. This may be accomplished through a community of like-minded individuals within the confines of a building, but "the church" is not a building.  The Church is the people that gather together. Therefore, my "church" is wherever people gather and are in need.  This may mean the mother who is exhausted from chasing toddlers...
Read more