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

My daughter and I love the Mrs. Miracle movies that play on the Hallmark Channel every Christmas season. Wherever Mrs. Miracles goes, magical, beautiful, wonderful, surprising things happen in the lives of the people around her.

A relationship is restored, loneliness is cured, love is found, a hurt is healed, purpose discovered.  Of course, the people around Mrs. Miracle don’t fully see what’s going on, but she knows what’s up.   Of course, it’s Mrs. Miracle behind all of that goodness!

And even though the people in her life don’t get it, Mrs. Miracle just keeps on being Mrs. Miracle, bringing more and more goodness.

I used to believe that miracles were big events like someone being raised from the dead, a bad disease going away, or a much-needed provision appearing out of nowhere in a desperate situation.  And while those kinds of miracles do happen, they seem to be far more infrequent.

Perhaps looking for the big miracles keeps us from seeing the multitude of miracles that are going on around us every single day.

Something has opened my eyes, something is allowing me to see in a new way.  Maybe it’s getting older.  Maybe it’s having suffered a few hard knocks in life.  Perhaps realizing the evil that humans are capable of.   The fact that there is any goodness at all is truly in and of itself a miracle. Now, I see miracles every single day.

Miracles that look like this…

A debt is forgiven, a hurt healed, a smile shared, an honest conversation had, a gift given, a flutter of hope in the midst of dreams shattered,  pain turned to purpose, sorrow giving way to joy, a relationship restored, failures turned into opportunities for growth, and so much more.

Mrs. Miracle reminds me of how God is in this world. Always there, working to bring the needed miracles to our lives, interrupting the natural course of things.  And like the people in Mrs. Miracle’s life, sometimes we don’t even see- really see-  what’s happening.

My hope and prayer for all of us this season is that we may each be able to not only see the miracles happening in and around us every day but to see the One behind all of this Goodness.

Miracles are like pimples, because once you start looking for them you find more than you ever dreamed you’d see. – Lemony Snicket