Miracle
defined:
Any
amazing or wonderful occurrence; A marvellous (sic) event manifesting
a supernatural act of a divine agent (WordWeb Pro).
an
extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs;
an
extremely outstanding or unusual event, thing, or accomplishment
(Merriam-Webster).
Many
people, even Christians, feel uncomfortable with the miraculous. Do
we really believe that Christ changed the water to wine and
calmed the wind and the waves on the Sea of Galilee? Do we really
believe that he gave sight to the blind and healed lepers?... God’s
flair for the miraculous is something we Christians must accept
because the miracle of the resurrection is essential to our faith.
(Through the Year with Jimmy Carter, page 345).
Last
night I was seriously constipated early in the evening so drank half
a bottle of prune juice. The rest of the night I was up with
diarrhea. In the midst of such an experience can I believe that life
has great meaning and purpose; that I (ensconced in my tiny bathroom)
have any significance at all in the vast universe; that mankind is a
noble creature with a soul and with a divine mission determined by
God? Well, sometimes I must admit with a sore butt from wiping, it’s
a little difficult to believe in spiritual convictions garnered in
other more uplifting moments filled with tranquility and awe. So the first
thing I must remember in considering the miraculous is that there
will be moments when belief in miracles comes with difficulty.
Yet
I do believe and experience the ascendancy of divine love. Much like
when I first got my little dog Stanley as a puppy. Somehow the fact
that he relieved himself all over the house did not seem to matter in
the big picture of things. And it is in the big picture of things
that miracles are tenable.
Sometimes
it is simply necessary to lose sight of the big picture and take care
of exigent details. I even believe that this is God’s will. How
many people when they first made love gave a darn about the “big
picture”? –nevertheless in the profoundest sense they were deeply
involved in a grander and bigger picture of God’s plan for the
universe and for each individual in it. It is greatly difficult for
humans to accept the limited nature of human perception. The mere
fact of an intense temporary micro focus does nothing to eliminate
broader macro meanings. In short, the big picture is always awesome
and partakes of the miraculous even when we are mired in details and
feel alienated from expansiveness.
There
is a saying, “Hang in there, this too shall pass.” God grant
that we may believe so deeply that moments of distraction are
accepted confidently as entirely within God’s miraculous will and will serve to strengthen rather than weaken our faith.
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