Small Miracles Forever

It seems like everything I post is serious and here is another one. I am sorry if these are getting old but I wanted to take a minute and talk about small miracles. People have said at times,they have not had a miracle in their life. I think we consider miracles as something that comes with Angels, or bells and chimes ringing or something else that is spectacular like the Lord parting the Red Sea. By definition:

"A miracle is an extraordinary event caused by the power of God. Miracles are an important element in the work of Jesus Christ. They include healings, restoring the dead to life, and resurrection. Miracles are a part of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Faith is necessary in order for miracles to be manifested" (Guide to the Scriptures, 165).

So this begs the question; what are the extraordinary events that shows a miracle in our lives? I want to suggest that miracles occur regularly by virtue of the following two stories:

Story #1: Last Saturday was to be a big day. Natalie and Bryan had everything planned down to the second. We would get up at 6:00Am and start our projects. Everyone had their own part. I t would take us all day to complete all these projects so we could the following week put our home on the market. Well Saturday came and by 11 o'clock AM, we had barely started anything and were essentially hours behind with no hope of finishing. Natalie was not her normal self, Cindy was feeling a lot of stress and the kids were being overly active. The family was called together and I told them we needed a miracle and that we needed family prayer. The prayer was offered, a miracle asked for and by the end of the day (approximately 8:30PM) we sat down and realized we had accomplished everything we wanted with a little bit more. The Lord had truly provided a miracle because from the moment of our prayer it was like we had a new day with many more hours available to us. It was unbelievable, but how the Lord performed this miracle I don’t know but we were truly blessed and thankful for His help. Natalie said her whole attitude changed after that prayer. Bryan’s back was as strong as ever and Amy painted and cut everything in with no problems, Cindy made curtains and provided our meals. As a family we worked together and never got in the way of each other. Please remember and take to heart; the Lord cares about the little things in our lives and will provide a way for us if we have faith and remember to have our hearts full of gratitude.

Story #2: Cindy and I decided that we wanted to go to Texas the first week of August and since it was the summer that we should consider taking Hallie and Syddey with us to be with their Cousins. Bryan and Natalie agreed and I went looking for tickets to see if we could afford such an adventure. I found tickets for $213.00 plus applicable taxes which by a long shot was a great price. This was Monday evening and we decided that I should book the trip. Tuesday morning on my break I tried to book the trip but every time I click on the ‘select flight’ Orbitz, Travelocity and Priceline would not honor this price. In fact the price kept going up to $385.00 and more plus applicable taxes. I decided that I would not book any flights at this time and that we would consider not being able to take Hallie and Sydney. We discussed it that night and were all disappointed but felt that was the right thing to do. That night we thank the Lord for our blessings and for the opportunity that Cindy and I would have to see Melissa, Josh and the grand-kids in Texas but were disappointed that we would not be taking Hallie and Sydney. We did not ask for a miracle or a special blessing but rather let our hearts be full of gratitude for our many blessings.

The next day I received an email from Travelocity saying they had tickets for $213.00 if I was still interested in going to Texas. I thought who are you kidding but since there was a link in the email I click it to see what was going to happen, knowing full well that I had been down this road before. To make a long story short and you probably know the ending by now but we got the tickets for that price and we were able to confirm our reservations and seats on each flight. This was truly a miracle. Again, I want to reiterate that the Lord cares about us and knows us personally and answers our prayers and even provides hidden blessings even when not requested. Everyone is very thankful for this miracle and we have truly thanked the Lord many times..

Elder Matthew Cowley stated in the New Era, Jun 1975, the following: “Now, except ye believe as a child, you can’t receive these blessings. We have to have the faith of a child in order to believe in these things, especially when you reach college age and your minds are so full of skepticism and doubt. I guess there are some things that you should doubt, but you can become as little children in these things. Miracles are commonplace, brothers and sisters.” We need to have miracles in our Life to realize that the Lord wants his people to be successful, full of faith and an instrument in His hand.

Sister Sydney S. Reynolds, First Counselor in the General Presidency wrote in an article for the Liahona, “A God of Miracles”, Jul 2001, the following comment after discussing a few miracle in her life: (I recommend this article) “Just as important as these “mighty miracles” are the smaller “private miracles” that teach each of us to have faith in the Lord. These come as we recognize and heed the promptings of the Spirit in our lives. ….. I believe that all of us can bear witness to these small miracles. We know children who pray for help to find a lost item and find it. We know of young people who gather the courage to stand as a witness of God and feel His sustaining hand. We know friends who pay their tithing with the last of their money and then, through a miracle, find themselves able to pay their tuition or their rent or somehow obtain food for their family.”

I love and appreciate the Lord’s hand in my life and in the life of my family and friends.