Miracles Happen
Last week was an extremely emotional time for the Adams family. We were all desperately concerned for a member of the family and unsure how to help them. I was so impressed with my in-laws when a conference call was initiated and for a couple of hours the entire family was able to share feelings, advice and impressions. I just kept thinking, "Wow, what an amazing family I married into." I know sometimes with my own family when siblings (or even myself) were making poor decisions, we would often talk it over (usually with everyone BUT the sibling in question), cry about it (lots of crying in the Bush family) until we had stirred up more grief over the subject than resolutions.
I learned a lot from the Adams family last week as they banded together, initiated a family fast and earnestly prayed daily for the individual in need. There was no awkward tension in avoiding the problem. Instead we were all on the same page, all there to help one another and to offer our love and support. I anticipated a long, drawn out period of worry and suffering on behalf of our family member, but within a matter of 5 days, everything was resolved.
Sometimes I think we get caught up in thinking that miracles are dramatic, news-making events such as a family being saved from a burning building or an invalid being raised from their death bed by a priesthood blessing. Often we think of miracles in reference to Jesus Christ healing the sick and feeding the 5,000. These examples are more memorable and visible manifestations of the hand of God in our lives. However, a miracle can be triggered by something as small as a single word in a conversation resulting in a change of heart and, thereby, a changed life, altering an individual's eternity.
I want to testify that miracles are real. I want to affirm that there is power in prayer, fasting and family unity. And I want to tell you that the answer to our fervent prayers came, not through any wisdom the family shared, but from a 16-year-old girl standing up for her beliefs and being an example. It's exactly what I was trying to tell my young women on Sunday - we are stronger than we realize. We can all have a powerful influence in the world by helping one person at a time, by being the answer to others' prayers. I hope you too are seeing miracles in your life. They are all around us.
I learned a lot from the Adams family last week as they banded together, initiated a family fast and earnestly prayed daily for the individual in need. There was no awkward tension in avoiding the problem. Instead we were all on the same page, all there to help one another and to offer our love and support. I anticipated a long, drawn out period of worry and suffering on behalf of our family member, but within a matter of 5 days, everything was resolved.
Sometimes I think we get caught up in thinking that miracles are dramatic, news-making events such as a family being saved from a burning building or an invalid being raised from their death bed by a priesthood blessing. Often we think of miracles in reference to Jesus Christ healing the sick and feeding the 5,000. These examples are more memorable and visible manifestations of the hand of God in our lives. However, a miracle can be triggered by something as small as a single word in a conversation resulting in a change of heart and, thereby, a changed life, altering an individual's eternity.
I want to testify that miracles are real. I want to affirm that there is power in prayer, fasting and family unity. And I want to tell you that the answer to our fervent prayers came, not through any wisdom the family shared, but from a 16-year-old girl standing up for her beliefs and being an example. It's exactly what I was trying to tell my young women on Sunday - we are stronger than we realize. We can all have a powerful influence in the world by helping one person at a time, by being the answer to others' prayers. I hope you too are seeing miracles in your life. They are all around us.
Comments