Expect Miracles

I recently participated in a large youth activity called Trek—a pioneer reenactment providing teenagers the opportunity to celebrate and honor their trailblazing ancestors along with their church history. A huge component of that experience is the organization of “families.” Made up of a Ma, a Pa, a big brother, a big sister, and four to six younger siblings, each trek family (in similitude to true, blood families) became a unique mix of personalities that fostered an environment of spiritual growth. On the very first day of Trek, my family came up with a motto that defined my spiritual experiences for not only the trip, but to this day as well: expect miracles.

At first, it seems like an odd mantra. When I hear the word “miracle”, I think of Jesus feeding 5,000 people with only a few loaves of bread and some fishes, or Elijah raising a child from the dead. Starvation staved by manna from heaven, immense city walls tumbling down, men emerging from a raging fireplace unscathed: miracles are such big, important, spiritually gargantuan phenomena that it seems impossible to EXPECT them at all times. If I continued to follow this thought process, I’d walk down to the Knik River right now and EXPECT to walk through on dry ground.

But maybe that isn’t the sort of miracle we’re supposed to be expecting. According to the Merriem-Webster dictionary, the definition of a miracle is “an event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs, usually accomplishing some measure of good.” If we shift our perspectives of miracles from extraordinary, once-in-a-lifetime events to one that aligns with the dictionary perspective, it becomes a lot easier to recognize the tiny miracles that occur in our everyday life.

Has your favorite song ever come on the radio right when you were feeling your lowest? Has a friend ever unexpectedly called “just to say hello?” Has a stranger ever given you a compliment? Have you ever smelled the earth right after it rains? Have you ever experienced a family game night where there is more giggling than bickering? Have you ever found eleven chicken nuggets in your 10-piece McDonald’s meal? Have you had a conversation where someone said the exact thing you needed to hear? Have you ever seen a sunrise on a cold, clear morning? Miracles, every single one of them.

This past weekend, I went on a road trip with two friends to Valdez, where another friend lived. We’d had this idea for a long time, and were determined to make it happen, but problems kept arising. Due to unforeseen circumstances, we were suddenly left car-less two weeks before the trip was scheduled. Obviously, one cannot go on a road trip without a vehicle, however, things fell into place for another friend to join us, and she had a car we could take to Valdez. The day of the trip, the weather forecast unexpectedly shifted to a 100% chance of rain for the entire weekend, which completely changed our “Trip To-Do” list. While we had planned to go rock climbing and sea kayaking, the change in weather provided opportunities for activities that gave us exactly what we needed — time together to just BE. Hikes in the rain, playing games around the table, peacefully watching a movie, late night chats that we never wanted to end, these were the experiences we needed to have but would never have been a possibility if we were too busy adventuring in nice weather. And with this weekend being the last time we’ll all see each other for at least two years, it was a huge miracle, or rather a series of tiny little ones, that everything worked out the way it did. What a beautiful use of divine intervention in human affairs.

Jesus Christ taught “If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth” (Mark 9: 23). I choose to understand this as “If you believe in and expect wonders to occur, they will.” Our God is a god of miracles, for with Him “nothing shall be impossible.” He never specified a “miracle size requirement” to do so. In fact, Jeremiah Say once said “Sometimes the greatest miracles travel in disguise. Look closely, for they can easily be taken for granted.” By reframing our definition of miracles, it becomes easy to not only to find but expect them to occur. Search for those tiny daily doses of divine intervention. Though they not seem as grand as the stories of old, they are just as wondrous and important.

Avery Palenske has decided that her new favorite place in the entire world is Thompson Pass, followed closely by wherever they make Lay’s Dill Pickle Chips. Her hobbies for the next month include slowly, painfully going through her closet, playing as much Tetris as possible and then applying those principles to her suitcases, and feverishly searching for the most aesthetic dorm room decorations possible, but she sets them aside every week to attend The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.