That sounds like a paradox doesn’t it? Miracles are supposed to be life changing, astounding, and magnificent. I certainly count an lots of those types of miracles over the next 11 months (and beyond). But there are also “normal miracles;” miracles that are a part of everyday life and usually taken for granted, like breathing, gravity, birth. And lastly there’s something in between those two- what I like to call “little miracles”. They’re unexpected blessings, things unplanned for but delightful, or something you’ve been hoping for but seems unlikely.
This past week I’ve enjoyed several “little miracles” and just wanted to brag on how awesome my Daddy is. Because I like coming up with titles I’m naming them. :p The first we’ll call the invisible retainer. Then the reproducing check, the altered sleeping bag, and the Mary Poppins pack.
When I was little my teeth were really messed up. I needed 4 or 5 appliances plus braces to fix them. In 7th grade it felt like I had a stereo in my mouth if I went to a concert or loud volume worship service. (It was actually kinda fun.) For the past 8 years I’ve been faithfully wearing a retainer at night to keep them in order (otherwise they shift ever so slightly every day- stubborn things). At training camp I came to the conclusion that this temp retainer was not going to be practical or sanitary for the world race. Thus upon return I scheduled to get a $400 permanent retainer. I cashed in some bonds my Grandma gave me and drove to my old orthodontist last Wednesday afternoon. Hurray!!!
When I got there the assistant informed me that the version I had looked into was actually obsolete and they had a simpler, easier to maintain, and even less noticeable method now- for the same cost! After they put that baby in I walked up to pay for it and the receptionist looked at the screen for a minute and stated, “I don’t think you should have to pay for these. Let me go check….Nope. You don’t need to. You’re good to go. Have a great trip!” What?! How does that happen? My only conclusion is that they decided to include this retainer in the original package my dad purchased over 10 years ago. So I walked out with a lovely permanent retainer free of charge (and you’d never know cause it’s pretty hard to see from outside my mouth hehehe).
Next cool occurrence is simply that all last week my wallet continually had a donation check in it. Every time I deposited one, I’d get another one (or 2!) in less than 24 hours. Even on days when I wasn’t meeting with anyone about the World Race, I’d be at a friend’s house and before I would leave one of their parents would stop me and hand me a check, wishing me well and saying they’d keep me in their prayers. Even on Sunday, I decided to make one more deposit before I drove back to Columbus just to test it out. When I got home I found a check in the mail! It’s actually still in my purse…I should probably go deposit it… But in all seriousness, in 1 week God provided the other $1,000 I’d needed for personal expenses on the Race. One at a time God is taking care of every single need. And I love it!
Moving on…. While I was house hopping last week I discovered a tear in my down-filled sleeping bag. So I set it aside and ordered one a little more durable. My friend in the Airforce recommended the brand so it should be legit. 😉 It’s only a 35 degree one but I think it’s going to actually be better than my original one. The only “downside” was that they were out of regular sized ones, which was ~my height, and only had long 6′ ones. I figured I’d just have extra wiggle room and it would still take up a little less room than my previous one. However, when I received it yesterday I somehow got a regular sized one…. I thought it was odd so I called in. They said they were sorry and would credit my card with the price difference since I was cool with that size. They didn’t really know what else to say cause they’ve been out of regular sized ones for awhile. lol So now I have my size and it takes up less room. Yay~
Lastly I feel the need to mention that I think I accidentally stole Mary Poppins bag. Every time I go to fit all my stuff in my pack- it all barely fits! I keep having to add things that I forgot I stuck in some corner or other, and it still fits! And I think my scale is a liar because it says it only weights 40 lbs. I’m praying it somehow weights less than 50 in real life because I really should bring everything that’s in there. (Any ideas where I weight this puppy without having to pay for a fancy scale? Cause that’s not gunna happen) I just found a couple more things so hopefully God will work his magic (otherwise I’ll just have to resign to giving up writing on paper for a year and journal via computer. 🙁 ) I’ll survive but it’d be cool 😀
So thanks for reading as always. I just thought you might find these stories encouraging. Sometimes God does everyday miracles like keep us breathing and sane. Other times He does big miracles like heal the blind and feed hundreds of people with a pot of chicken. And sometimes he does little miracles like listed above. All of them are wonderful and beautiful and show in one more way that God really loves us.
I hope you know that Jesus loves you~ Have you gotten any “love notes” from Him this week? (It doesn’t have to be thru a miracle. He has unlimited methods. 🙂
