Looking for a Miracle

The other week I got an email from a good friend that had some bad news. It looked like her mother's cancer was back after almost a year of remission. Scary stuff! So I did what I could being 20 hours away. I passed the news onto friends here in NC and all my friends that are interns across the country and requested prayers.

And then last week, right before Thanksgiving we got the results from her biopsy. It was clear! There was only a 10% chance of this happening to put it all into perspective. This is great news of course and I added to the list of the many things I have to be thankful for this season.

And this past week the idea of miracles is at the forefront of my mind. Now this may have a little something to do with my current reading on the 1980 US Men's Hockey Team's Miracle on Ice. However, I'm starting to see for myself that miracles aren't just one time games or events. I believe miracles can and do happen instaneously. But I also think they manifest themselves in processes that may take time or may not be what we expect.

I came face to face with this idea as I did my visits this week. Her battle with cancer has been ongoing and at times, there were predictions at the beginning of the fall she wouldn't last through the holidays. Now it's already past Thanksgiving and they're optimistic that she will be around through the New Year. Of course, this could all turn on a dime. But is it a miracle that all these doctors and nurses were able to sustain her through now? Most certainly! And is her making it through Thanksgiving a miracle? I would wager a yes. Though we may not have the miraculous disappearance of the cancer that we all hope and pray for, we have already seen miracles along the way.

As we continue to question why God isn't doing more on Earth and what happened to all the miracles I challenge people to look at this differently. Miracles still happen in a big way, I have no doubt about this. I am witness to this through my friend's mother. But I also think miracles are a lot more subtle. Chemo prolonging someone's life. Surgery to remove tumors. Vaccines for diseases that used to be fatal. Prayers being answered through modern medicine. Being able to be with a loved one anywhere within the country in less than a day because of cars and airplanes. I think these are all things we take for granted so easily and we are wary of calling miracles because we feel it will cheapen the idea. But I think we can never cheapen the hope that comes with even the smallest of miracles. Maybe we aren't looking hard enough. Or maybe we're looking in the wrong places. Or maybe we're just sitting on our laurels waiting for it happen while not taking advantage of all the "modern miracles." And maybe some of it is up to us. Be the miracle. Believe in miracles. Don't be afraid to look for miracles or pray for miracles. God just may surprise us in a way we weren't expecting.