Waiting for the World Race to start has been an interesting season. I’ve said see ya later to people I love. I’ve been blown away by people’s generosity. I’ve stressed over fitting 11 months of life into two bags. I’ve seen the presence of God in ways I never imagined. When we say yes to Him, He shows up.
He shows up in old friends who tell me that my journey has already had some impact on their lives, lives that I wasn’t really sure I would ever even enter again past high school.
He shows up when people who I’ve looked up to, who have provided me with wisdom and guidance, tell me that my journey has inspired them to step out in faith and go after a God Dream in their lives this year.
He certainly showed up today.
“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”
-Albert Einstein
Today in Georgia, visiting family, I got to attend the church that my parents got married in. After an alter call, the pastor, Paul, said a few words about asking God for miracles when we need them. It was great and there was applause. As it grew quiet after the applause, a small voice began in the room. It came from the wheelchair of a woman with cerebral palsy at the end of the row right in front of me.
“Miracles are a great thing, and we should pray for them. But, we should only pray for them when we need them. Miracles will come when we need them, but we can’t begin to crave miracles. We need to crave closeness with the God of miracles.”
More applause and a fantastic sermon followed. Paul spoke on Matthew 7:13 and taking the difficult, narrow road. The road less traveled. The road that runs through Jesus. The road to heaven. God showed up in that sermon.
After the service, I was introduced to people, I got to tell them about the World Race. It was awesome. Then I was introduced to Wanda, the woman in the wheel chair who sat directly in front of me during the service.
“It’s nice to meet you,” I said to her, “It was a pleasure to get to sit by you and hear your words of wisdom today.”
I told Wanda about my trip, and I learned she loves missions and goes to prisons twice a week to deliver hope to people. She told me that she met the Lord in 1950 and has been serving Him ever since. She told me that she wished God had given her a young and functional body like mine so that she could serve in more ways and introduce more people to Jesus.
Then she told me this: “Life hasn’t been easy for me. It’s a tough race. Some of the race you run on a soft road, and its easy, but then you start running on loose gravel and it hurts your feet; you don’t want to go on. Then, you start running up a big mountain, and you stumble and slide back down the mountain. God catches you because He’s been running right with you the whole time. He helps you start running again. He keeps your eyes focused up the mountain, and that road ahead starts to get easier and easier, and you start to see the road turn to gold because you’re almost to the finish. You can’t make it there without His help.”
I was grinning ear to ear with a tear in my eye.
“Wanda, I’m sure you already know this, but God speaks through you. The words that come out of you are straight from Him and you encourage so many. It’s been such a blessing to meet you today.”
Then Wanda said, “I’m getting pretty close to the end of the race I started back in 1950. It means so much to me to know that I will live on in others’ lives. Thank you. I hope you reach even more lives than me. You know what? Do it. You have to out-do me, touch even more lives than I could. Shine light in them. I’m going to pray for you every day.”
As we parted ways, I was filled with so much encouragement and confirmation of this path God has called me on. I laughed and shook my head at the amazing ways God shows up. It can’t be coincidence that I ended up in Georgia at this church for the first time, on this Sunday where I got to sit next to this amazing woman named Wanda, whose cerebral palsy limits her to only her voice, so that He could speak through her with words of wisdom and encouragement to me and so many others.
No, that’s a miracle.
Einstein says we can believe everything is a miracle.
Wanda says to believe in the God of those miracles.
God says we are His Miracles.
So be a miracle to someone every single day.
