Miracles
I was thinking about this during church this morning. Our pastor was talking about miracles and how they were documented for us in the Bible. But that also, miracles still happened. They shouldn't be something that we thought only happened in Biblical times and he asked if we were taking note of them--reminding ourselves of them--making markers of them.
I'm not sure if this is what he meant, but it got me thinking about how anything was recorded. People used to journal. People used to write letters. That's how we know what past presidents were thinking--they wrote letters and people saved them. That's how we know what certain historical figures went through--they kept a journal and someone saved it.
My journal is not exciting. It's jumbled and far too infrequently added to. I write it mostly for me--to practice and to clear my head. I wonder what someone will think of it when someday it is found in a heap with other books and papers after I'm gone.
But back to miracles...
I can honestly say there have been several in my life. Some huge and others that could be considered trivial to anyone but me. How often do I speak of them? How many can I say I've described to my children? Few, if I'm honest. I'm not sure why. I guess for the most part, it never occurred to me. But I do want to record them. If for no other reason than that I want to remember. I want to still be amazed at what God has done and what I have seen Him do. So, here is a miracle--it's simple in it's impact on my life in a practical sense but profound in my complete and total awe of what God is capable of.
I could not find my keys anywhere--anywhere! I had looked and looked and looked. It was a Monday morning and thankfully, I was scheduled to work from home. There was only one key to this car. The dealership had never found a spare and we never went back to get another one made. Now, I was kicking myself for that.
Nick had to go to work, so in our other car, we dropped the kids at daycare and I drove him to work. We drove from Surprise to Deer Valley along rt. 101--it was busy but not enough traffic to slow us down.
Driving back home alone, I mentally combed through our house and the events of yesterday. We'd gone to the mall. Did I have them with me? Yes. I always brought my keys incase (ironic!) we lost the other set.
They weren't in my purse. They weren't on the floor of the car. They weren't under the car. They weren't in the stroller. They weren't in my shorts from the day before. They hadn't fallen out in the laundry. I checked everywhere. The only possibility I could fathom at this point was that they had somewhere been lost at the mall.
I had literally looked all day. All. Day. It was nearing time to pick up Nick and the girls and still, no keys. I needed this car tomorrow.
So, what now?
I called the car dealership. Could they do anything?
Yes--another key could be made but the car had to be present. Plus it was several hundred dollars to get this type of key made. How can I get it there? The cost was cheaper than a new car...
I called AAA. Could they tow it? Yes, but it might be cheaper to call a lock smith. He might be able to create a key.
I searched the internet for local locksmiths. Found one. I called. He could help but it would be several hours. I had no alternative but to wait.
Wait.
And pray.
I prayed to God. This seemed silly. I lost my keys. No big deal. Except it was. A stupid problem. But I still had it.
It bothered me to pray for things like this. I never felt right asking God to get me out of situations I created myself. I know, He cares about everything. But that didn't make me feel less responsible or more worthy to be helped. But I was desperate. With nothing else to do on my own, I prayed.
I asked Him to lead me to the keys. He knew where they were. Lead me there. Where hadn't I looked?
No where. I had looked everywhere. What now? Having given up on finding them, I resolved myself to the solution I had come up with. A lock smith would have to do. I'd then take the key he made and drive to the dealership to have a dozen more created. I went out to the car I had keys for and around to the passenger side. I opened the sliding door to get something from the back and as I did, I looked up.
There, wedged into the rack on top of our van, were my keys. I stared at them in amazement. Now, I remembered. I had put them on top of the car last night when we left the mall to free up my hands when putting Iris in her car seat. It was something I'd done before but not often. Clearly, it was a stupid thing to do.
Since I had done this last night, that meant that my keys had survived the trip home from the mall, AND the trip down the busy highway to AND FROM taking Nick to work that morning.
Even now, as I write this--more than 6 years later--it seems trivial but I know it isn't. I remember how amazed I felt at that moment. How in awe of God I stood just then. He had answered my prayers and no matter how many times I re-thought the day in my head and downplay the journey on top of the car my keys took that day, I know--I know--this was a miracle.
I'm not sure if this is what he meant, but it got me thinking about how anything was recorded. People used to journal. People used to write letters. That's how we know what past presidents were thinking--they wrote letters and people saved them. That's how we know what certain historical figures went through--they kept a journal and someone saved it.
My journal is not exciting. It's jumbled and far too infrequently added to. I write it mostly for me--to practice and to clear my head. I wonder what someone will think of it when someday it is found in a heap with other books and papers after I'm gone.
But back to miracles...
I can honestly say there have been several in my life. Some huge and others that could be considered trivial to anyone but me. How often do I speak of them? How many can I say I've described to my children? Few, if I'm honest. I'm not sure why. I guess for the most part, it never occurred to me. But I do want to record them. If for no other reason than that I want to remember. I want to still be amazed at what God has done and what I have seen Him do. So, here is a miracle--it's simple in it's impact on my life in a practical sense but profound in my complete and total awe of what God is capable of.
I could not find my keys anywhere--anywhere! I had looked and looked and looked. It was a Monday morning and thankfully, I was scheduled to work from home. There was only one key to this car. The dealership had never found a spare and we never went back to get another one made. Now, I was kicking myself for that.
Nick had to go to work, so in our other car, we dropped the kids at daycare and I drove him to work. We drove from Surprise to Deer Valley along rt. 101--it was busy but not enough traffic to slow us down.
Driving back home alone, I mentally combed through our house and the events of yesterday. We'd gone to the mall. Did I have them with me? Yes. I always brought my keys incase (ironic!) we lost the other set.
They weren't in my purse. They weren't on the floor of the car. They weren't under the car. They weren't in the stroller. They weren't in my shorts from the day before. They hadn't fallen out in the laundry. I checked everywhere. The only possibility I could fathom at this point was that they had somewhere been lost at the mall.
I had literally looked all day. All. Day. It was nearing time to pick up Nick and the girls and still, no keys. I needed this car tomorrow.
So, what now?
I called the car dealership. Could they do anything?
Yes--another key could be made but the car had to be present. Plus it was several hundred dollars to get this type of key made. How can I get it there? The cost was cheaper than a new car...
I called AAA. Could they tow it? Yes, but it might be cheaper to call a lock smith. He might be able to create a key.
I searched the internet for local locksmiths. Found one. I called. He could help but it would be several hours. I had no alternative but to wait.
Wait.
And pray.
I prayed to God. This seemed silly. I lost my keys. No big deal. Except it was. A stupid problem. But I still had it.
It bothered me to pray for things like this. I never felt right asking God to get me out of situations I created myself. I know, He cares about everything. But that didn't make me feel less responsible or more worthy to be helped. But I was desperate. With nothing else to do on my own, I prayed.
I asked Him to lead me to the keys. He knew where they were. Lead me there. Where hadn't I looked?
No where. I had looked everywhere. What now? Having given up on finding them, I resolved myself to the solution I had come up with. A lock smith would have to do. I'd then take the key he made and drive to the dealership to have a dozen more created. I went out to the car I had keys for and around to the passenger side. I opened the sliding door to get something from the back and as I did, I looked up.
There, wedged into the rack on top of our van, were my keys. I stared at them in amazement. Now, I remembered. I had put them on top of the car last night when we left the mall to free up my hands when putting Iris in her car seat. It was something I'd done before but not often. Clearly, it was a stupid thing to do.
Since I had done this last night, that meant that my keys had survived the trip home from the mall, AND the trip down the busy highway to AND FROM taking Nick to work that morning.
Even now, as I write this--more than 6 years later--it seems trivial but I know it isn't. I remember how amazed I felt at that moment. How in awe of God I stood just then. He had answered my prayers and no matter how many times I re-thought the day in my head and downplay the journey on top of the car my keys took that day, I know--I know--this was a miracle.
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