I’ll never forget when my daughter-in-law sent me an ultrasound picture of our grandbaby after the first trimester. Naturally, I broke into tears. A miracle. The miracle obviously is in seeing the baby. But there is more. Marriage is a miracle. As I reflected further, I thought about the father of the baby—our son, yet another miracle.
I will never, ever forget an accident he was in while snow skiing in grade school. Something of a risk-taker, he went down an advanced slope, and the snow was icy and packed like concrete, so that it was extremely fast. I was told later that he lost control and went off the slope into a nearby fence, where he slid into a fence post. He broke his femur. Breaking your femur is like breaking a baseball bat. It is the largest bone in your body.
Although I recall this incident some sixty-plus years later, it still seems like yesterday, especially as I look at the ultrasound of his baby. Had my son twisted or turned ever so slightly during the fall, the chance of being paraplegic or suffering a severe spinal or brain injury was very real, as was his fatality. What was real became a long recovery and physical therapy, and home-schooling. What is also real is that a few years later, he was actually playing high school football and basketball, then went to college, got married, has a job, and now he is a father.
Point being, I believe in miracles, and his skiing accident long ago is for me a living example of a miracle and a deeper understanding that miracles are not just a flash. Miracles do not just occur and then they are over. Miracles mark a beginning. Miracles are a sign of renewal. Yes—I thank God—his leg healed and his accident is a distant memory, but the miracle continues. And with the miracle comes faith.
Granted, there will be those who read about this near-tragic event and no doubt think “how lucky.” Luck really isn’t a satisfactory explanation for me. I don’t believe in luck. Others may scoff at my labeling his survival as a “miracle.” Some may dismiss my claim of a miracle as nothing more than superstition, or magic, or simply make-believe.
Ours is a secular age. We rely on reason and technology. But we miss the point by often thinking our world is wrapped within a closed universe. Miracles change such a narrative. When God intervenes, when God acts, our universe is open to God, who wraps us in His protection.
Faith is the foundation upon which miracles are revealed. Such a revelation is not beyond science or technology, nor should it be separated. Rather, I have found in my life, everyday miracles occur, like waking up in the morning and breathing. Such a gift of life allows us to be confident (con-fidere) in faith or, as Paul writes, we are not “in want” but we learn, “in whatever state to be content with whatever I have” (Philippians 4:11).
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Robin Jennings
Featured Image by Jonathan Sanchez on Unsplash
