miraclette

noun mir·a·cle·ettte \ˈmir-i-kəl-ət The everyday events that, if noticed, fill one with wonder and delight. Believed to be caused by the power of God, just to make us smile.

We all have them, every single day. Have you stopped to ponder them? A child’s giggle, a puppy’s wiggly bottom, your spouse’s deep look of satisfaction at the dinner table? I did not coin this term, my friend Betsey did. But ever since hearing it I have experienced many.

Top three this week:

1. While driving home after a rather intense meeting, I saw a group of about ten third graders running with their coach down the side of a road. Suddenly the coach circled back to scoop up the last little runner whom she found delightfully picking dandelions and making wishes while happily skipping along! Ahh! Unaffected bliss!

2. In the middle of a walk I looked down and noticed something strange on my pant’s leg. I tried to brush it off thinking it was a stray thread only to realize it was a teeny-tiny inch worm, the EXACT same color as my neon green running jacket! God loves dayglow as much as I do!

3. My husband’s face felt scratchy and I asked him why. He told me he leaves it “fallow” one day a week and does not shave it. That is not the miraclette...the fact that I discovered something NEW, funny, quirky and charming about my husband after THIRTY YEARS OF MARRIAGE-- now THAT’S something worth smiling about!

What are your miraclettes? Sometimes God brings them to us when we are experiencing anxiety, just to show us He is there and truly cares. But if we are so busy rushing through the day, they can squeak right past us. Even then, God will often catch our eye, just for the joy these little consolations can bring us.

I so often think of God as too busy solving world problems to care about me, especially silly me, but just as my earthly father loved to surprise me with sour candy in his pockets, I believe my heavenly Father loves to thrill and delight me just as much or even more so, as God is the creator of all things good. The Bible says this:

If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him. Matthew 7:11

Don’t let this day pass without noticing how much God loves you, and tries to show you. Not just in the big things, but in the tiny ways that make you smile. And when you do--don’t forget to look up and say, “Thank you!”

When cares increase within me, your consolation gives me joy. Psalm 94:19

Dear Lord,

You are full of surprises!...and consolation and joy! If I will only take a moment to look at the multitudes of ways You are trying to get my attention! Thank You for speaking to me in my own little love language-- flowers, ladybugs, a special song on the radio at just the right moment that you know I love. It is like we have a secret code. You know me so well. Please let me realize that it is You who delights me as You are the origin of all goodness and true delight. I pray for the grace to open my eyes and ears today and see You smiling at me, again and again and again. And, if I can be present to this, I ask for the grace to truly be grateful, for I know that this will bring a smile to Your heart, too.

I ask this in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.