Sweaty Miracles
Maybe it’s time we broaden our understanding of miracles. We use the word miracle to describe Biblical history, like the parting of the Red Sea; or sports history, like The Miracle on Ice, but in our day-to-day life the word gets relegated to secondary and sarcastic uses, like, “It’s a miracle my child ate broccoli.” It makes me wonder: do we really believe God still does miracles? And, if so, do we believe God wants to involve us in His miracle-working business? The answer is “YES!,” especially when we understand miracles aren’t always delivered in a Cinderella pumpkin-into-a-carriage wrapper. Often miracles come only with time, sweat, and tears.
Pastor D.P. understood miracles. (True story; using initials, because this pastor wants God to get the glory.) This Pastor was deeply troubled by all the children stuck in the foster care system, so he went to his state agency with a question that went something like this: If a miracle was to take place, how many children would be placed in loving homes this year? Then, he went to his church with this challenge: let’s become part of God’s miraculous work. People prayed, listened to God, and wrestled with the implications. This wasn’t some capital campaign to add a fitness center to the church. These were real children, needing loving families. Literally hundreds of children in families later – had a miracle occurred?
If you had a fly-on-the-wall view of the adopting families, today their homes probably look more like hard work than Hollywood happy endings. Parenting is tough. It requires time, sweat, and sometimes, tears. More still, adopting children from foster care can bring its own set of challenge, but yes, a miracle is occurring. Families are being built. Wounds are being healed, but here’s the hardest part – sometimes the results appear to be a complete failure. Even then, yes maybe especially then, God is still in charge! He is still working. He won’t quit on those families. He won’t quit on us. He won’t quit on children – in the foster system, in GO Project villages or anywhere else.
God is in the miracle-making business – in us and through us. At GO Project, the answer is YES! – because we believe in Jesus and who He is, we believe in sweaty miracles!
