Miracles I Believe
I liked attending Sunday school as a little girl, and listening to stories, with picture illustrations, about Jesus. But i liked fairy tales too, like Snow White, Cinderella and Jack and the Beanstalk. I remember how my young gullible mind soaked up, and with total wonderment how Jesus walked on water, opened the eyes of a blind man, the dumb spoke, the 'lame walked', and how a few pieces of 'bread and fish' multiplied to feed a crowd of thousands. Mere tales of magic and 'silliness' i soon outgrew, and discarded as life became more 'real'.
And so we face realities, and let go of our childhood beliefs. That's alright by me, because things didn't end there. We get older and we challenge everything as part of the intellectual exercise. And as for me, the season of being cynical about religion was all good. It was a time of testing, to see how far life would take me devoid of God. I went full throttle with faithlessness, doing this and doing that, until somewhere in the long and ardous journey, i knew i was already running on empty. I could not go further. I really really believe that being 'spiritual beings' that we are, we can only go so far ( i know many who have gone soo far). There is a void, in the very core of our being, that needs to be filled. I had my share of life's good and bad, but it was at my worse when i found myself seeking answers, and that "someone" who had to be, bigger than life itself.
GOD! There is a God. The Bible tells us, only a fool thinks there is no God. I know how hard it is for some to go along with this. But, for someone who found this to be true in such a very personal way, there's no more debating.
Miracles are as real as the sun
The most incredible thing about miracles is that they happen. ~G.K Chesterton
In this world, we will never run out of folks who will challenge whether miracles are real, or if they are mere coincidence, accidents, scientifically caused, or brought about by a 'lucky star', or just something unexplainable. It's easy to brush off miracles that happened in history, or to someone else. But the miracles i experienced are true to me. These are events have fortified my faith in a miracle working God.
One Left Standing: The first miracle i experienced was when i was diagnosed with Carcinoma of the cervix when i was 19 yrs old. I was rushed to the hospital when i passed out due to internal hemorrhage. Surgery saved me, but it would take 5 years of medical care before my doctor would consider me in the clear for any recurrence. The day i was told i didn't have to come back and see my OBGyne anymore, i was also told, of the 5 cases like mine, i was the only survivor. I wasn't spiritual then, but during my hospitalization, many came to visit me and claimed that they were praying for me.
Unhurt: My next miracle happened when i was on a trip to visit my husbands logging concern in a dense forest in a faraway place. He had parked our vehicle by the log pond where i decided to stay and pick up shells, while he met with the men he was working with. I didn't go too far, there were shells where i stood, but as i bent for another one, i noticed something moving. It was a little cobra with its head and tongue sticking out licking my pants. I freaked! My heart palpitated, i felt like passing out. I tried to compose myself, I could barely speak,. Finally, i waved my hand towards my husband, and screamed, making a sign towards my foot, "Snake!". Everyone rushed towards me, to check what was going on. The snake had half it's body stuck underneath a tire, and had been run over by our jeep! Whew! All i could say was, thank God! I reflected on that incident and asked the question, what if? Out there in the wilderness, with a venomous bite, i may not have made it.
Healed: It was in the year 1980 while traveling through rough terrain, when suddenly, i felt shooting pain all over my back. I thought by resting for a while, it would go away. But, instead, it became unbearable, i had to be flown back to the City for thorough check-up. I would be diagnosed with a slipped disk, and the doctors recommended either surgery or a full month of total bed rest, flat on my back. I refused surgery, and just hoped that my back would recover in a month.s time I remember my mom coming to my rescue to be my 'nurse'. She was was a lifesaver and the best caregiver. In a month's time, i went back to see my doctor. He told me i was ok, but that i couldn't take any risk with my back. he went on to tell me, i had to slow down. He put me in a brace, and said i had to use it every time, esp when i travel. It meant i couldn't play my game "Squash", fix my house (which i loved to do), among many activities of someone who was in her 20's! It was a like a death sentence, I was depressed. This was the first time i would ask God for a miracle. While watching TV, i chanced upon a televangelist who was praying for the sick. He was coming to town. The rest is history. I sincerely believed in the prayer for my healing. God be praised! My back has been normal, i no longer feel any pain. I don't wear any brace and i am able to function like any normal healthy person.
Baby: I wrote in one of my hubs the miracle of my long wanted granddaughter. After 5 miscarriages, my daughter gave birth to a healthy and beautiful baby girl. She is named Keona, meaning "God's precious gift". And that she is!
Re-united: Lastly, my marriage to my long lost love is a miracle. After our break-up 30 years ago, and losing track of each other, my sweetheart and i got re-united at the very same place where our relationship ended, Hawaii. Everyday is a day of miracle for us.
Angel: Our car suddenly stalled in a very dark street, in the middle of nowhere, where anything could happen to stranded people like us. With all the stories we have heard about folks being held up and even hurt in similar situations, my mind raced like crazy of being victimized. My husband tried to start the car to no avail, until someone showed up from nowhere, and said, "You need help?". Then he went straight for our hood, and then told us to start the car. Voila! But before we could thank him, he disappeared. I have to believe in angels.
Walt Whitman said: To me every hour of the light and dark is a miracle. Every cubic inch of space is a miracle.