journey onWord with us

Each day is filled with a myriad of people, activities, thoughts, expectations and a good dose of the unexpected. How often have you thought to yourself, “This day certainly didn’t turn out the way I had planned”? It’s interesting to me that in the midst of all the twists and turns of each day, I can easily miss lessons from God … moments with Him and miracles from His hand. It’s easy for me (and you) to want Him to part our Red Sea, write His will in the sky or dramatically heal someone who we love. And in the process of wanting Him to fit into our plans, we miss moments and miracles from the Father’s hand. Just this week, my wife Genel caught wind of a miracle that happened, which we almost missed.

About six weeks ago, she was called to her aunt and uncle’s home due to a serious illness. Her uncle was taking care of his wife who was at the end of a nine-year battle with cancer. He couldn’t handle the physical part alone any longer and reached out to Genel. Her first visit to the home lasted about forty-five minutes, and was very stressful. Later the same week, Genel spent another couple of hours in the house preparing to receive a hospital bed and organizing things for her aunt to come home. A few days later, her aunt fell and Genel spent the night on a sofa beside her. I am sure many of you reading this article have done the very same things, but helping a family member was not the miracle of which I am speaking.

If you knew my wife well, you would know that she is highly allergic to cats. She can be in a room with a feline for as little as five minutes and be stuffed up and sneezing with her eyes watering. Do you relate?  Genel’s aunt and uncle have always loved cats and two of them rule that house!  I had expressed concern to my wife about her severe allergy, but we both knew Genel was going to go anyway.  The cats even seemed to take a liking to her.  On the evening she spent the night beside her aunt, Genel awoke with a cat actually lying beside her head and the other on a close-by chair. Amazingly, during that stressful time, when Genel had to be taking the lead on serious life issues, her allergies basically went away!  No sneezing!  No itching eyes! Nothing! But in the emotion-filled days before her aunts passing, we missed seeing the marvelous protection and provision for Genel.

On Tuesday of this week, Genel visited her uncle in his home … with the cats. Within five minutes of her arrival, her eyes began to water, she became stuffed up, and then the sneezing started. She had to get out quick! It was then that Genel realized what God had done during that critical time when God needed her to gift grace and help to her aunt and uncle. After living her entire life with cat allergies, Genel knew God had given her a miracle, when He needed her to be available.  And we almost missed it!

You may call it a coincidence or no big deal, but for my wife, it was nothing short of miraculous.  And in God’s timing, the allergy returned. Never forget that He is in control! No detail is beyond His gaze or ability to provide.  He wants us to see Him in the myriad of activities, stresses, and unexpected twists of life. Nothing is too small for us to sense His presence, and see His miracles. Note the words of encouragement written by Frederick Buechner in his book, The Alphabet of Grace.

“Morning, afternoon, evening—the hours of the day, of any day, of your day and my day. The alphabet of grace. If there is a God who speaks anywhere, surely he speaks here: through waking up and working, through going away and coming back again, through people you meet and books you read, through falling asleep in the dark.”

Look for God’s power and presence in every aspect of your life!