I’ve been thinking a lot about miracles! Little miracles that happen every day without us even noticing! I’m using this word so much more in prayer and trying to discern the kind of miracles I’ve experienced in my life. They don’t have to be glaringly obvious. For me, I believe in the art of personal miracles. Events that take place in our lives we could never have imagined and that seemed so improbable, we even doubted Gods ability, as true believers, to do it.
I experienced a personal miracle on New Year’s night. I was with a friend, addressing God directly, looking up at the starry sky. A few years ago, we were doing the exact same thing, having just become friends, gazing up at the stars, imagining our creator sitting there amongst them. As we were doing this, the most beautiful thing happened. Almost as though it were a dream, the most precise, crystal clear shooting star flew overhead, right above us. I’d never seen a shooting star in my life before this. Perhaps I’d never taken the time to notice. To me, it was God acknowledging our thoughts, letting us know he knew our hearts and what we yearned for. Back then, i did need a little proof. On New Years night, however, remembering how scarily similar things were to that same night, over 2 years ago, I found myself flirting with the notion again.
Should I ask him to do the same thing? To give me a shooting star with my eyes firmly fixed on a certain part of the sky? Everything he’s been doing inside of me should be enough. But I’m a curious child of God and New Year’s night proved no exception. Megz and I were laughing. We were happy! We’d spent the night dreaming of bright futures, praying that God would plant us firmly on the paths that lead to it. We truly believed that as we asked God to show himself again, he would.
And would you believe that he gave us not one, but TWO shooting stars? Right before our very eyes, 5 minutes apart. I saw the first one and let out a scream! Meghan saw the second one and the squeal of delight said it all. From what I understand, shooting stars don’t happen very often -certainly not over here, anyways.
Non believers see a lot of things as coincidences, but as a Christian, I believe that’s taking God out of the equation. If I believe things happened randomly in my life, I could never trust an all knowing, all powerful God in the way I do. My faith would be weak, and I’d be clinging to something with little stability. I’ll never forget moments like these, when I can barely breathe as I anticipate God doing something. Then to actually see it – well, that’s just incredible. Miracles sometimes aren’t what you see, but what you feel. I could have looked out my bedroom window, witnessed a shooting star and played it down as awesome timing. But nothing can compare to the feeling of utter awe when God does a little something just to assure me he’s still there and always has been.
It was a wonderful start to the New Year and a definite sign that God’s going to be hugely present in this year. University’s going to start. I’ll be surrounded by new faces, new surroundings. God will be the only constant thing in my life. That doesn’t scare me anymore –in fact, it’s testament to how much my relationship with him has strengthened. I’m going to take leaps of faith this year and appear to others just as that shooting star appeared to me. I may only see them for a minute, a few seconds, maybe only an instant. But I plan to make a lasting impression for the Lord with every brief encounter I have.
I can’t think of a better goal to have in life, let alone 2012.
