Rediscover Your Everyday Miracle

(Inside: Enrich your daily life by rediscovering your everyday miracle.) 

Every day you and I get to be a part of a miracle.

But I don’t always see it. (Do you?)

It’s undeniable when we see a beginning. A sweet newborn: we celebrate, we cuddle, we photograph. The miracle of life captures our attention and we pause to marvel at it.

But then our vision blurs. (My vision blurs.)

My schedule becomes hectic, and I find myself yelling like a madwoman for my family to hurry up, find their shoes – any shoes, matching is overrated – so we can get out the door and be almost on time somewhere. (Why can even the ordinary be stressful?) A phone call tells me my beloved grandma is in the hospital. (Oh, my heart. Why do people have to get sick? Why does pain exist?) My elementary age son is upset because a classmate pushed his lunch bag off the table to the floor and told him that was his seat. (Why do kids face stuff like that? How should I best handle this?) I get frustrated and tired….

…and I can’t see the miracle.

But then, there are moments that stir my heart and remind me the wonder is still there…

In the middle of the night, our youngest son makes his way into our bed and fits his little body into the curve of mine. His lips pucker into steadfast breathing; I wrap my arms around him and cherish his smallness. Or I hear our three boys playing. They battle their toys with great animation and the sound captivates me. So much everyday love, I am lucky to be a mom.

With fingers laced around a warm drink, I look out the window and see the golden hues of the sunrise. Man, it’s beautiful. I linger. I feel the hope and fresh start a brand new day brings. And God gives us that gift every morning. Mind-blowing.

My phone buzzes and I smile. It’s a quick hello text from my mom and picture of my little niece wearing a paper bunny mask she proudly made. She’s calling herself, “Carrots.” Those pretty eyes and big grin, she is charming. People enrich my everyday life. Amazing, wonderful people. So blessed.

Yet, what do we do when we can’t see the miracle? How do we mentally shift our focus from worry, pain, doubt, discouragement, and fear to see the miracle of life and all the joy, love, hope and peace it holds?

Each morning, I fumble around for my glasses near my bed and I don’t think about what makes me able to see – the lens that bends the light so it hits my eyes just right and the frames that holds the lens in place. I also don’t always think about what sharpens my perspective on life.

Gratitude.

God breathes a holy quality into gratitude. Click To Tweet Because the more I stop focusing on life’s messiness and start focusing on my blessings, the better I see…

Everyday busyness can be stressful, but there are so many great activities to be involved in. Life is full. (And we can always say no if it all becomes too much.)

Yes, my grandma was in the hospital, but I still got to hear her sweet voice on the phone. She is one of the most incredible people I know and I get to be her granddaughter. Blessed, again.

I want to guard my kids from all challenges, but that is not how they grow. And parenting is hard, but I get to be a parent. What an awesome privilege.

With each positive thought, I can find another thing to be thankful for. You guys, it’s working. I can feel the light bending and hitting my eyes, my heart, just right. I continue to list: the good I saw come from the bad, the obvious things to be thankful for, and the blessings I take for granted. Discouragement is fading and I am wrestling back my perspective. My focus sharpens until I am only looking through the lens of gratitude. Then I can see – really see – where I am.

Where we all are…

…in the middle of the beautiful, breathtaking miracle of everyday life.

Is your life crazy and you don’t always have time to LOOK FOR HOPE?

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Are you feeling unglued and want to know what God says about one thing you can do when you feel burnt out and overwhelmed? Read our hope-filled article: 4 Things To Do When You Feel Like You’ve Had Enough {Printable} (It’s one of our longer articles but worth the time. This story helped me pull myself out of a funk.)