My friend Brooke saw a real life miracle. Her husband was gone. They told her it was the end and to say goodbye. She prayed, we all prayed, people all over the world prayed and within the hour a nurse ran in and told her to come quick her husband was back.
I don't understand miracles. I don't understand how God decides which miracles to perform. But I know I saw a lot of people's faith renewed watching Jason come back to life.
And then there's me. I was on vacation with my family and on day one (Monday), the combo of roller coaster, throwing my nephew and hoola hooping with my niece made my back seize up in a way I never experienced.
Within 24 hours I couldn't even stand. I was in Florida with my family and all I saw was the speckled ceiling of my hotel room. I would lay there helpless as my family played with Mickey and Minnie. I asked for a miracle.
By the third night, I would hold in my screams as I rolled onto my stomach to throw up into a garbage can next to the bed. The pain meds and my stomach didn't get along. Throwing up would make my back seize and lightning bolts of pain would shoot down my legs. It was the second worst pain I have ever experienced.
I had already tried asking for a miracle. So I thought maybe I didn't ask right or ask enough. Maybe (like Brooke) I needed more people to pray. I sent texts out to friends and posted on Facebook. I prayed over and over, begged for a miracle.
Nothing.
So what do you do with that? Have I suddenly found out God doesn't exist? Is this the moment when I realize even if there is a God he doesn't love me enough to heal me? Or maybe he just loves Brooke more?
And then you start feeling selfish and small. There are wars going on. There are people who will actually never walk again. There are children being deserted by their parents. Maybe God's off worrying about the real problems in life.
But here's the truth. God doesn't have to choose who to worry about because he can worry about everyone all the time. He isn't ignoring me, he allowing me to be here for some reason.
So it began. I reminded myself all the miracles I have seen. All the times God came through. I reminded myself that God doesn't love me more or less compared to my pain level. I believe that suffering leads to perseverance, perseverance to character, and character to hope. So I will sit in this suffering knowing that hope will arrive. And maybe the fact that I'm sitting in pain shows how much God loves me because he wants me to learn or to grow.
Our human minds want answers. I don't have answers and I have now been sitting in this pain for two weeks. I'm jealous of people who can walk. I just want to get up and run. But instead I will sit in my wheelchair reminding myself to have joy.
I have seen amazing kindness from so many people. From small acts of a stranger offering to help me into a car to my friends bringing me food and transporting me around. There is so much good in every bad situation.
So, as I wait for my miracle, I will smile at people staring at my purple flowered cane. I will tip the wheelchair lady at the airport more than I should. I will accept the humility that comes with constantly asking for help.
But I know this. God is not only real when miracles happen. He is also real in my pain.
