Miracles are easy to miss. We often overlook them or dismiss them. Sometimes it seems silly to call them miracles when it’s such a small thing, so we just call it luck. In those instances, I say it was a blessing rather than luck. It’s always by the grace of God that I’ve made it through something or received the blessing.
Just the other day, I was asked to rate my happiness on a scale of one to ten. Without hesitation, I said ten. The nurse practitioner asked, “even with the migraines?” Again, without hesitation, I said yes.
For those of you that don’t know, I’ve been suffering with daily migraines or severe headaches since July 15, 2022. Some days are worse than others and I can’t even get out of bed. Other days are manageable and I can fight through the pain. Most days, the pain is between a four and a six on a scale of one to ten. It’s those days it hits a seven, eight, or nine that I dread. I haven’t found a traditional medication that works and, so far, no alternative medicine approach has worked. I’ve been to the emergency room three times and all they can do is pump me full of different pain medications and hope the combination works.
Despite the DAILY headache and/or migraine, I still say I’m a ten on the happiness scale. How can I be so happy when I’m in constant pain? Joy isn’t found in my circumstances, it’s found in my God. He is good all the time, even in difficult circumstances.
I have been trying to figure out why I’m getting the migraines and why the headaches never go away. I keep going to doctor after doctor, running test after test, all with no answers. Maybe there is no answer. Sometimes you never find out the reason why something happens. I can either accept that and learn the lesson God wants to teach me in this season or I can become bitter and angry. Logic doesn’t always work when it comes to God.
I’m choosing happiness despite my circumstances, despite the setback of the daily severe headaches and migraines. I’m going to work around them the best way I can through His strength. I’m going to remind myself of His faithfulness in my life. Let me share with you just a few moments of how God has shown up in my life time and time again.
In July 1995, I was in a horrific car accident with my mom and two of her friends. I was driving. The beginning happened in slow motion. I could see it happening, but I couldn’t stop in time. Then it happened so fast, it was over in a blink of an eye. A woman ran a stop sign and hit us on the passenger side and pushed my car into oncoming traffic. I was then hit on the driver’s side. Less than a mile before the accident, I realized I had been driving without my seatbelt on and I put it on at the light right before we were hit. Even with my seatbelt on, the impact was so forceful, I flew forward and hit the windshield. If God hadn’t prompted me to put on my seatbelt just moments before the accident, I would have flown through the windshield and I probably would have died at the scene. Even more miracles came with this accident. All four of us were considered trauma patients. I was taken by helicopter to the nearest hospital because I had no pulse. My mom had a punctured lung and compound fracture. One of my mom’s friends had a punctured lung and broken bones and the other had a heart attack. It was not looking good for any of us. The police on scene left the investigation open in case anyone died and the charges had to be changed. By the grace of God, all of us walked away! Our God is an Awesome God!
I wasn’t saved at this point in my life. I didn’t know Jesus or have a personal relationship with Him. Looking back, after I accepted His gift of salvation, I realized it was Him that saved me (all of us) and gave me a second chance. I’d like to say I turned my life around at that point, but that’s not how it happened. It took a few years.
It wasn’t until after I met my husband and we were married that I started a relationship with Jesus. I missed out on a lot of years of spending time with Him, but I know He was always taking care of me. It’s easy to see now because He defies logic. Too many times to count when He kept me from making the wrong decision.
Another miracle… in November 2000, when my daughter was born, there were minor complications that could have gone from bad to worse. The actual delivery was difficult and long, but I had a good support team with me! They at least tolerated me and my grumpiness!! The epidural had worn off and it was too late to give me another one, but my family kept me distracted so I didn’t know it was going to be a natural birth. My husband and I literally played tug of war to get her out… insane! She was healthy and all was right with the world, except the nurses couldn’t get the bleeding to stop. I was starting to hemorrhage. Again, my family kept me distracted and I didn’t realize how bad it was until after the fact. Finally, it was under control and my family left to go have dinner. It was just me and the baby. Not realizing how bad it was, I got up on my own to go to the bathroom and couldn’t make it back to the bed. By the grace of God, I was by the emergency pull cord when I blacked out and thankfully I didn’t hit my head when I fell. I woke up to three nurses getting me back into bed. God’s protection surrounded me that day.
As with any relationship, my marriage has had its ups and downs. Marriage takes work, a lot of work, and it takes both people being committed to the relationship for it to last. There were times when I wanted to throw in the towel and there were times when my husband wanted to throw in the towel, but we seemed to find our way back to each other before divorce ever entered the picture… except one time. In September 2013, my husband and I were at a crossroads and he wanted out of the marriage. Too many disappointments and unmet expectations for him to stay. I wasn’t ready to let go, so I turned our marriage over to God. I started to pray a simple prayer every day, “Lord, please soften my husband’s heart towards me.” I didn’t ask Him to save my marriage. All I wanted Him to do was to soften my husband’s heart and for him to forgive me. Then, I worked on myself. I asked God to make me a better wife and mom. I asked Him to show me where I was failing to meet my husband’s needs. I worked on becoming his best friend again. God answered my prayers. My husband and I have a healthy and strong marriage now. We’re happier now than when we were first married! This was a big miracle for me! God has provided so many blessings for us and our family because we have honored our covenant.
Another miracle God gave me was when my Dad went home to be with the Lord. My dad died of lung cancer in June 2020 in the middle of the Covid pandemic. He was sick and stuck in a hospital room with limited visitors. The end was near and he just wanted to be in his own home. We made that happen for him. I prayed for God to get me back to Kansas City in time and He did. I was able to see him in the hospital and I was the one that told him he was going home. I can still remember his smile and hearing him say thank you. He had one good day at home. He was thinking clearly and was full of smiles and laughter. As the day went on, his health started to decline. It was getting harder to give him his pain medication. When I gave him the last dose before I went to sleep on the couch beside his hospital bed in the living room, I talked to my dad. I told him it was okay for him to go and that I don’t want him to be in any more pain. And then I prayed. I prayed for God to end my dad’s suffering before it was time to give him his next dose of pain medication. I woke up a few moments before my alarm went off to find my dad had died peacefully in his sleep. I cried and praised God at the same time. It was a miracle my dad didn’t suffer long. It was a miracle he was able to come home. It was a miracle I was able to be with him during his final days.
Miracles are all around, some big and some small. Are you paying attention to the miracles in your life? How many miracles have changed the trajectory of your life? Have you been ignoring the miracles in your life and it’s time to chart a new path? Schedule a free introductory call with me today or leave a comment. I’d love to hear from you!