By G. E. Shuman
Albert Einstein once stated, and I paraphrase: ‘We must accept the premise that either nothing is a miracle, or everything is a miracle.’ Well, Mr. Einstein, I am one who, if that premise is true, believes that everything is a miracle. I have eyes, and I can clearly see this beautiful, immensely complex world. From your statement, I think you saw it, too. I certainly do believe that miracles happen, and that they probably happen more frequently than we realize. After 62 years of living and of observing life, I don’t see how I could ever believe otherwise. I also believe that miracles are where you find them, and that, to our dismay, sometimes we don’t even look for them. I don’t think that this means some miracles are ‘small’, in fact, I think that none of them are small. They are all big, especially when they happen to you.
I’m writing about this today because of something that happened to my grandson, Devon, just last Sunday evening. It was about 10 p.m., and that thoughtful grandson of mine had just driven to the Walmart in Manchester, NH, where he and his family live. He had gone to the store because his girlfriend was having a craving for oranges, and he wanted to buy her some. What a nice guy, right? Somehow, during that late night run to the store, Devon’s wallet had slipped out his pocket, in the huge parking lot. Now, it’s never good to lose your wallet, but much worse when that wallet contains your license, your debit card, your social security card, and, (this part gives me a sick feeling in my stomach) $400 in cash from the paycheck you had just received. Ouch! It also didn’t help that the wallet was lost in that large city, at a very busy shopping center.
We, as a family, believe in the power of prayer. So do our children, and, also, their children. Our daughter, Cathy, (Devon’s mom) and her distraught son obviously prayed that night, and so did my wife and I, and others, when we heard about what had happened. Yes, you need to understand, this was a joint effort. “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them.” Matthew 18:20. Holy Bible.
Okay, so now let me tell you about the miracle. (Pay attention, as there will be a quiz.) As I’m sure you have already guessed, the wallet was found, which, to me, was miracle enough. A young lady about Devon’s age contacted him on Facebook, told him she had found his wallet, and asked if they could meet so that she could give it back to him. They arranged that, and Devon went to meet her. To Devon’s surprise, and obvious relief, his wallet still contained his license, his debit card, his social security card, AND the $400 from his hard-earned paycheck. Wow! My grandson thankfully offered to give that young lady a reward for what she had done, or to at least buy dinner for her, but she wouldn’t let him. Devon told her that it was a huge blessing for him, and she replied that people have done many good things to help her before, and she wanted to help him. Now…here’s the quiz. Did you understand the miracle, or did you miss it?
It was surely a ‘God thing’ that Devon got his wallet back, with his identification, his license, and even his money…every penny of it. To my grandson, I’m sure this was no small miracle. Still, to my mind, the miracle really happened in the heart of a young stranger, who found someone’s wallet in a parking lot that night, could have kept the cash, thrown the wallet away, and never given a thought to finding its owner. No one would have ever known. Really, no one would have. Instead, this young lady chose to remember what others have done for her, and to ‘pay it forward’ with no thought of self, and without ANY reward, even when it was offered.
In this strange year of terrorism, fear, and an increasingly nasty presidential election which seems to shout uncertainty, distress, and danger for the future of our nation, there are still people of integrity, and still young people of surprisingly sterling morals. This, to me, is no small miracle.