Anyone sitting at the bedside of their child gazing at the perfection of that new life, will tell you it’s a miracle – a gift from God.  When a parent spends the last few days of their child’s life in a hospital room, they will have many harsh thoughts and sweet hope for that life.  They may wonder why God is doing this to their little one. They might feel it’s a punishment for some sin – a cruel joke – an undeserved suffering for that precious soul.  Many parents have seen miracles happen in hospital rooms.  A tiny infant clinging to life is spared and lives to see another day.  Others may not.  Both of these situations are miracles.

An old man gasps for his final breath of life.  He has lived for more than 90 years and has experienced his share of miracles.  Still he hopes that God will spare him from the grip of death.  His family surrounds him and prays for another kind of miracle. That he will be relieved of his suffering and taken to heaven.  The man survives and lives another ten years.  A miracle?

Miracles don’t always include life and death.  Sometimes a miracle can be an unexpected happening – like wondering where your next meal will come from and finding a hundred dollar bill on the sidewalk – or finding a job when you’ve sent out resume’ after resume’ with no results.  A miracle can be finding the person you’ll spend the rest of your life with.  It can be a quiet place where you find solace or realizing that by being late, you may have been spared being in an accident.  No matter what the case, miracles happen all the time.  They happen to everyone – even those who don’t believe in them.

Every day, if you look for them, you’ll see some sort of miracle.  It can be the birth of a child – the look of relief on someone’s face when they discover they don’t have cancer – the laughter and innocence of little children at play.  For the teen it can mean passing a test or making the right choice, even if it’s not popular.  For a parent it can be watching their child grow into a responsible adult.  For a widow it can be the gift of a homemade meal and some company.  God uses us to facilitate His miracles today. It is through the things we do for others, the love we share, the consideration for life, the everyday heroism, that we begin to realize that miracles abound in our lives.

Especially during this season of Christmas, the miracle of encouragement can make all the difference in the world to someone who is hurting. A tender hug, a smile, a kind word to lift them up is all they need. The promise of the Messiah has been fulfilled at the birth of Jesus. That news in itself is a miracle, because He has taken the sting out of death and replaced it with an eternity in heaven.

Isaiah 54:10 ESV “For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you.