I think as believers, and non-believers, that we have fallen away from living in a miracle mindset. A miracle mindset, by my own definition, is a mindset in which you exist believing that everything is a miracle waiting to be discovered, or tapped into, or noticed; moments to see God tangibly working through us. They’re moments where we have the opportunity to give someone hope, or change the posture of someone’s world, even if only for a moment.
A miracle mindset is choosing to believe that life happenings are not coincidences, but rather miracles. I think far too often, we pass up the opportunity to witness miracles, or to share love, light, or Jesus with the world because our eyes aren’t open, our souls aren’t awakened, and our minds aren’t searching for the miracles.
I want to share this post as an encouragement to awaken your life to the miracles and opportunities that are just waiting to be noticed by you. I’ve been sharing some miracle stories with those closest to my life lately, and in conversation last night, reeling in joy of all the things I’ve seen unfold in recent days, I said, “I don’t think this is just me though.. I don’t think I’m some special person witnessing radical happenings every day. I think everyone could be experiencing these things, but they just aren’t looking for them.” We have to look for them, ya’ll. We have to wake up to the light we have within us and the ways that light needs to reach the rest of the world.
Our world is crying out for hope, for light, for love, and we hold that within us. But it’s gotta be awakened. It’s gotta be tapped into.
The world needs us; people need us.
They need you.
The heart you have within and the gifts you’ve been given in life are unique to you and only you. Nobody else can borrow your heart to be put to beautiful use, or borrow your gifts to share with the world… only you can do that.
Several weeks ago I was headed to house church on a Wednesday night, and stopped at a sandwich shop for a bite to eat. I opened the door and this beautiful woman came from around the corner of the back kitchen; walking with such purpose and such a glow about her. As soon as she spoke, I could hear such a specific joy in her voice.
“Hi there!”
“My gosh you are so beautiful!” came right out of my mouth in response. She was immediately taken back in the most humbling and gracious manner.
“Oh my goodness thank you! Thank you so much!”
Immediately we were connected. There was an instantaneous glimmer of trust and comfortability in her eyes; just from a compliment. I asked her how her day had been (asking to know, not just asking to ask), and we continued conversing about our days and weeks. She asked where I was headed and I told her I was going to a house church in the area. She inquired about what that was exactly, and I shared with her that it was just a very small church gathering in my friends’ living room. She began to share about how her parents were strong in their faith and she had grown up around church but hadn’t been in a long time. I listened and held onto the words she shared. After paying and sharing a few more smiles I asked her name.
“I’m Joy!”
Of course she was! I told her my name was Angelica and she laughed with much of the same reason I did at hearing her name. I ate my sandwich at the bar top and as I was leaving, noticed she wasn’t around anymore. I thanked the other man in the kitchen and asked them to tell her goodbye for me. As I walked outside, I noticed that she was just across the parking lot taking out the trash. “So good to meet you, Joy!”
“You too honey!”
As I was steps away from my car, the Lord decided to speak straight into my heart.
“Ask her if she needs prayer.”
Mannnn. Don’t ya hate when that happens sometimes!? It was so darn cold that night and I still needed to move my car to find parking around the block before church. But I’ve found that when God speaks, we’re instantly given a choice. We either listen to Him, or we don’t. The more I hear from Him, the more I feel not only called to listen and obey, but I have the desire to listen and obey. The closer I get to the Lord, the more I want to be obedient. I want to follow His will.
“Hey Joy, this may be random but do you need prayer over anything in life right now?”
She hung her head and immediately responded to me. “Yeah, yeah I do actually.” We walked to one another as she began telling me that she had just recently gotten out of prison after many years of serving time for a vehicular accident. “It’s really hard adjusting back into the world. I’ve noticed myself slipping back into old habits and patterns and I just don’t want that for myself.”
Prison. Another heart connection she and I both had. Not only have I spent my fair share of visiting loved ones there in my past, but I’ve had the honor of serving with our prison ministry team at church all year at a local women’s facility. Upon sharing this with her, she exclaimed, “Oh my gosh! Many of my friends are still at that location!” I’d just been there a couple weeks prior to this interaction with Joy, and had more than likely been serving fellow women and friends that she loved and missed dearly.
And so in the freezing cold, we held hands and I prayed over her; over her life and confidence and purpose and the direction of her future path. I prayed God would give her confidence and keep her inner light turned on and burning brightly. We embraced and I told her I would be back soon. And I was. I came back again before house church on a week to follow that special night. We laughed and shared again, and I told her I was praying for her! She said “I know you are!”
I share all of this to say this: everyone in this world is looking for hope. Everyone wants to feel seen and loved and noticed. And everyone wants the hope that tomorrow may bring new life, the sunshine after a storm, the shift of a circumstance; they want the hope that God may move in ways that seem impossible to our human hearts sometimes. But how do they find that hope within if they aren’t receiving it from others on the outside? How do they find that hope within to hold on for one more day if nobody is encouraging or showing them love on the outside? It’s rather challenging, isn’t it.
That’s where we come in.
That’s where the miracle mindset comes in. That’s where we have to look for the opportunities to share hope; the miracles we might miss if we aren’t switched on and looking for them; opportunities for others to see Jesus in a moment. I could’ve gone in that night, ordered my sandwich, eaten and left. My life or hers wouldn’t have been any different than it had been all day. And if I’m being honest, many times that is how it goes. Many times I’m not switched on and I’m going through the motions of the mundane. I forget that I am a daughter of a King that exemplified bold, fierce, relentless love. I forget that I believe that the same power that raised Christ from the dead lives in me. I forget that I’m called higher than mediocrity or the I’m-just-too-busy or don’t-have-enough-time mentalities. I forget that if I don’t smile or speak that others may not either. I go through the motions of my day instead of looking to the Maker of my day, and asking Him how He wants to use me. In 2020, I want to awaken my soul to never be asleep to the miracles or opportunities in front of me. To see the “Joy’s” in the world, to take the second to pray, to take the moment to care and offer a glimmer of hope, to connect to someone I may not get to connect with unless I seek it out.
People want to be seen. They want to be loved. I know I do.
But people won’t be seen if we aren’t looking for them, and they won’t see Jesus in us if we aren’t looking through His eyes in all we do. It’s my prayer to see through the eyes of Christ every day, every hour, moment to moment. To never be too tired to stop, or too busy to care.
I want to challenge you to think about this what-if: What if everything around us were opportunities and setups for God to do miracles? What if every person we came in contact with was for a reason? What if every moment were a setup by our Heavenly Father to see if we’d seek His voice, listen, and be obedient, or just let the moment go? What if we let all the moments pass us by…
But what if we didn’t.
What if we stepped into every opportunity with a miracle mindset, looking through the eyes of Jesus to see the world. What if every homeless person, every friend battling an addiction, every family member that’s hurt us, and every heart break we’ve felt, was just an opportunity to watch God do miracles through us.
“But if I were you, I would appeal to God; I would lay my cause before him. He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted.” Job 5:8-9
“He is the one you praise; he is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes.” Deuteronomy 10:21
“Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.” Mark 16:20
What if? What if…
Step into this what if, miracle mindset with me, and let’s see what happens. Try it today, tomorrow, or next week, and share with me what you experience. Look for the opportunities. Seek the miracles. Leave the hope.
