An Ordinary Miracle

Last week I wasn’t able to write my blog. Instead, I was in the midst of a miracle!

When is an event a miracle? Merriam-Webster says:

an extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs; an extremely outstanding or unusual event.”1

So, when looking at my post title–How can there be such a thing as an ordinary miracle when the event itself is extraordinary and unusual?

The miracle I experienced this past week is the birth of a grandchild.

Childbirth isn’t rare or unusual. In fact, it’s quite an ordinary and everyday occurrence. According to the Centers for Disease Control, nearly four million children were born in the United States in 2016.

That’s a lot of babies!

So, how can the birth of yet another child be a miracle?

A Pastor and friend once defined “minor surgery” as something that happened to someone else. He meant that events (such as surgery) are major when they happen to us. That can also apply to such special (yet common) events as marriage, graduations, job promotions, and, yes–you guessed it–grandchildren! 

This “major” event happened in my family–my first grandchild. And…I was there to be a part of the miracle!

After a long an exhausting labor (it’s called that for a reason), that tiny miracle popped out.  She was gray, wrinkled, slippery and seemed angry to be parted from her place of safety in Mommy’s tummy. Her little mouth opened and she emitted a lusty yell.

She was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.

But, with birth being such an ordinary occurrence, how can I claim this to be a miracle (besides the fact that it happened to me)?

The Greek word for miracle is dunamis and is defined as power. Thus, for Christians, a miracle is an act of God’s power.2

The prophet Jeremiah says of our God:

Ah, Sovereign LORD, your have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm.” Jeremiah 32:17

“Miracle is a mode of God’s special revelation. It has been defined as ‘an observable phenomenon effected by the direct operation of God’s power, an arresting deviation from the ordinary sequence of nature, a deviation calculated to beget faith-begetting awe'”(Baker’s Dictionary of Theology).3

“Faith-begetting awe…”

I think we sometimes forget the amazing wonder of the ordinary. Our sun rises in the morning and sets in the afternoon. The energy we receive from the sun guides every aspect of our life on Earth. The special atmosphere God created allows us to breathe and live. We have a balance of rain and sunshine to grow food to sustain us. Yet, don’t we take these miracles for granted?

Watching the birth of my grand-daughter ranks as one of the most precious and memorable moments of my life. I’ll never forget the grateful awe and the feeling of amazing blessing that I experienced that night. And, as with the birth of my children, my ability to love this new and precious life expanded as my heart welcomed her.

For just as the miracle of God’s great and infinite love for us through the gift of His son, our LORD and Savior, Jesus Christ, we are given the gift of love–love that grows with each new blessing of life.

What are those miracle moments that you treasure?

Wishing you joy in the ordinary, my friends!

 

1 Merriam-Webster.com

2 Holman Treasury of Key Bible Terms, logos.com

3 Dictionary of Theological Terms, logos.com