What Does Your Miracle Look Like?

A friend of mine is in the hospital in Texas where she delivered her third son via c-section yesterday morning. Phoenix is a miracle baby. Even as late as yesterday doctors were unsure if he would survive birth and, if he did, what life on the outside might hold for him. As you can imagine, emotions have been running high. The back story is that Megan and her husband Mike lost their first son, Evan, who was stillborn. They knew early on that both boys had little chance at life but continued with the pregnancies, nurturing them and packing as much love into nine months of pregnancy as many children get in a lifetime.

We have all prayed that the outcome will be different for Phoenix. Please, God, grant them some time with this child. Let her hold him, feel his breath on her face, smell him, rock him, nurse him, look him in the eyes and tell him what he surely already knows - that he is a child of God who is has been deeply loved, anticipated, and wanted.

Phoenix was born weighing just over four pounds. He is resting comfortably after surgery last night. Mom, Dad and big brother Rowan are over the moon, savoring every moment of this miracle. I have been amazed by their strength and trust in God. They see a big miracle in this little baby and are realistic in their expectations for his future, which is still uncertain, at best.

Too often we close our eyes to miracles when they don't look just as we had hoped they would look, when they don't meet our every expectation.

Today, in a hospital in Texas, a family is loving a fragile baby boy. Doctors say he will not walk and will require more surgeries to close his open spine. The circumstances are not ideal. Life is not perfect. Luckily, God's love and grace are. Maybe we too narrowly define our blessings. We only see God in the big things - the things that seem to us to have a perfect outcome. We expect our miracles to be all or nothing. The truth is small miracles surround us at every moment. If we could embrace that our lives would be so different, so much more fulfilling and whole. I want to breathe that air -to be fueled by the Holy Spirit who is active and alive.

Close your eyes and take a deep breathe. What does your miracle look like?

PS
Welcome to the world, sweet Phoenix!