Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Miracle Worker

Pictured is my beloved Sandy, at the famous pump where Helen Keller learned her first word, "water."

This weekend, my wife and I went to see "The Miracle Worker." It's an outdoor play held annually during the Helen Keller Festival for a couple of weeks around the date of her birthday. It has been years since I have seen this inspiring story.

Her teacher is often called the "Miracle Worker" because she courageously unlocked the brilliant mind of this 7 year old girl who was deaf, blind, and mute.

What is a miracle? Is it solely an act of God? Or do we participate in miraculous work in partnership with God? What is the relationship between divine initiative and human participation? What difference does intercessory prayer make? The subject raises lots of questions.

I have grown to believe that God wills goodness for the world and is always wanting to pour out blessing. This does not mean we always "get what we want" because there are some blessings that are deeper than what we want. Those of us who are followers become participants in God's working of miracles, great and small. The question becomes one of how we look at the world around us with an eye for the mytery of God. Do we see only the pain and brokenness? Or do we see the healing and grace in the midst of all that life brings?

A quote from Albert Einstein sums it up for me: "There are two ways to live; one is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as if everything is."